Princesses Mako, Kako and Prince Hisahito Current Events 1: July 2005 - April 2017

[mandyy]

Princess Mako departs for Austria on homestay trip
...............The princess, the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, is expected to stay at the home of one of their family friends in Vienna and tour museums and historical buildings in and around the capital.
The Austrian host and hostess are said to have known Princess Kiko and her father Tatsuhiko Kawashima since the Kawashimas lived in Vienna due to his work about 30 years ago.
At Narita airport near Tokyo, Princess Mako, wearing a checkered dress and holding a bag, slightly bowed to people around her before heading for a Lufthansa flight...................
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060803/kyodo/d8j8msng0.html

Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko departed Narita Airport in Tokyo for Vienna, Austria on August 3, 2006.
During her stay in Austria, she will be learning English and also visit some art museums. Her interest is in arts. This is her first solo overseas trip.
She is expected to return to Japan on August 16, 2006.

Below from www.yuko2ch.net


#1: JIJI press
#2: FNN news
#3: ANN news
#4: Yomiuri news

 

[mandyy]

Princess Mako arrives in Austria on homestay trip
..............The Austrian host and hostess are said to have known Princess Kiko and her father Tatsuhiko Kawashima since the Kawashimas lived in Vienna due to his work about 30 years ago.

The princess, wearing a checkered dress and a white cardigan, was greeted at the Vienna International Airport by the couple. Despite the long journey, the princess smiled when she received a flower bouquet from the couple. Vienna was rainy, with a temperature of 15 C. The princess headed to the home of the host family by the couple's car......................
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060803/kyodo/d8j981so0.html

#1: FNN news
#2: TBS news
#3-4: www.yuko2ch.net

 

[Vanesa]

Maybe it's only my crazy imagination...But I seemed to notice a sad expression in Princess Mako's face. Maybe was she scared?

And..my! I don't like her dress! She is a beatiful, stylish, delicate girl...and this dress makes her to look like an "Annie" Orphan of 1930's depression years!

Vanesa.

 

[foiegrass]

i hope the constitution changes so she wont lose her royal status on marriage!

 

[corazon]

Maybe it's only my crazy imagination...But I seemed to notice a sad expression in Princess Mako's face. Maybe was she scared?

And..my! I don't like her dress! She is a beatiful, stylish, delicate girl...and this dress makes her to look like an "Annie" Orphan of 1930's depression years!

Vanesa.

You're totall right!
this girls never had a smille and they faces!
and I agree with you, the dress is horrible!

 

[magnik]

Who wasn't scared during his first long trip to the other country without parents?


Few things:
- does someone from the IHA goes with her?
- any chances that maybe we would here smth more about here during her stay in Austria?

 

[Elspeth]

Princess Mako hardly ever seems to smile. Most photos show her looking serious if not downright sad.

 

[mandyy]

Who wasn't scared during his first long trip to the other country without parents?


Few things:
- does someone from the IHA goes with her?
- any chances that maybe we would here smth more about here during her stay in Austria?

I think she was a bit nervous travelling by herself for the first time.
The Japanese consulate in Austria and the homestay couple were there to greet her at the airport. I think that there must be one police officer protecting her throughout her stay in Austria (not sure if it's a police from Japan or Austria). From previous news, Princess Tusguko who's currently studying at the University of Edinburgh has a police protecting her in UK, therefore I think Mako must have at least 1 police protecting her. I am not sure if anyone from IHA is with her, but I think at least some people from IHA must be travelling with her to do all the heavy duty in carrying the luggage and guiding her throughout the trip introducing her to the Japanese consulate and help her meet up with the homestay family. Maybe staff working in the Japanese consulate will also be serving her during her stay in Austria if she needs any help...I guess for translation purposes.

I am not sure if we still get any news of her during her stay in Austria but I am sure we will get news and pics of her when she leaves Austria and arriving back in Japan.

The lady (left of Mako )and the gentleman (behind Mako) in this picture is the homestay couple that she'll be staying with. I guess then they are friends of Princess Kiko.
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257743&d=1154692218

 

[magnik]

Thanks

Btw. anyone know did she can speak any other language?

 

[mandyy]

Thanks

Btw. anyone know did she can speak any other language?

I think Mako must have learnt some English in high school. Maybe she might have had chances to practice when greeting foreign guests with her parents. But I don't think she is very fluent in English.
Her mom Kiko knows German, English and sign language. Maybe she taught her daughter some of everything.
I also heard that Kiko taught her mother in law Empress Michiko sign language.

 

[foiegrass]

hmm. very proper girl. ( :

 

[linda85]

She looks like she is scared of her own shadow, but who are we to judge?
Linda 85

 

[wlee]

From Kyodo News,

Princess Mako spends summer in Austria on homestay trip

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=15777

 

[mandyy]

An additional photo from Polfoto of Mako from Aug. 3rd leaving Tokyo.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Princess Mako, the 14-year-old granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, leads a horse by the bridle in a meadow on Aug. 11 during her two-week homestay trip in the suburbs of Vienna.

Some photos from Aug. 11
#1: JIJI press
#2-6: TBS news

 

[zarat]

Thank you Manddy for these photos! Eventually we know how gracious is princess Mako when smiling! I hope that being with adolescents of her age will make her smile more.

 

[TLLK]

She looks much more relaxed here in these photos. I hope that she's enjoyed her stay. I wonder how she and her sister feel about their sibling's arrival?

 

[wlee]

Another photo of Mako in Vienna from Kyodo News,

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=15791

 

[Vanesa]

She looks much better now! And of course, smile changes totally her face in a positive way.

Vanesa.

 

[mandyy]

More photos of Princess Mako of her visit in Austria
#1: JIJI press
#2: TBS news
#3-4: newscom
#5-6: www.yuko2ch.net

 

[mandyy]

Princess Kiko's daughter Mako returns from homestay in Austria
......................She returned to her residence in Tokyo around 9 a.m. and met with her pregnant mother Princess Kiko, who was to be admitted to a hospital in Tokyo later in the day to prepare for a Caesarian-section delivery in early September.The third-year junior high school student stayed at the home of Norbert and Gabriele Orac in the suburbs of Vienna from Aug. 3 through Tuesday. Princess Kiko's father Tatsuhiko Kawashima has been friends with the couple since the Kawashimas lived in Vienna about 30 years ago. During her homestay, the princess visited museums and a palace and strolled around the woods near the capital. She also rode horses and cooked at the couple's residence.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060816/kyodo/d8jh9ct80.html

Princess Mako returned home to Tokyo on Aug. 16, 2006.
Photo of her arriving at Narita Airport
#1: JIJI press
#2: Sankei web
#3: NNN news
#4: www.yuko2ch.net

 

[janos614]

Seeing that expression today on her face came as a shock to me after all the smiling she did while on vacation. I guess it's back to business for her.

 

[Emily]

Wow -- does she look like her dad! I think her eyes are the same shape as Akishino's. And as for her expression -- they must be socialized in concealing emotion because she does have that neutral expression again.

 

[kawaiian]

Does anyone notice all the royal children of Japan has very strong and simiar facial features? It is simply because they have married their co-royal first and second cousins for generations and they have never really brought outside bloodline until Empress Michiko. Two generations of marrying commoner will not wipe out the royal features which was build up over 2600 years of history.

 

[mandyy]

My translation of news from Asahi news
Princess Mako was greeted by her family upon her arrival back home at the Akishino Residence within the Akasaka Palace grounds. The family took a photograph together to remember this special moment upon Mako's arrival from her 1st solo overseas trip.

 

[magnik]

Pity that it was so short

 

[Vanesa]

I'm amazed watching the pics of the Princess arriving to Austria, staying there for a while and turning back to Japan. In the first set of photos, she seemed to be extremely sad or sacerd. In Austria she was ahppy and relaxed...and now, arriving to her country, her face was the one of someone who must go to a funeral. What is going on here? :unhappy:

Princess masako seems no to be happy of going back to home and this is not natural. In all the trips I made, I was always happy to be able of seeing my old friends and family again. But maybe it is not of it, and simply is the "Imperial Way" in japan and I'm totally wrong, and the Princess is perfectly happy.

I read in the book "Pivot of The Universe", by Abbas Amanat (it's a biography of the Persian Shah's Nasser-es-Dinh, from Qajar dynasty) that it was custommary in some not European Royal Houses, to ask to princes not to show any expression of joy, nor even to smile in front of persons that were not family or very close friends. This was required to show a perfect "Royal or Imperial face", something similar to a mask with no emotion on them. Royals must be beyond all this. Emotions were said to be "too commoner". Egyptian ancient Pharaos must act this way, and for the same reasons, as Inca's in Peru or Chinese Monarchs.

Then, maybe Princess mako is not sad, nor scared and we are judging her very harshly.

However I still have a complain about her: this awful "Orphan Annie" dress returned in one of the sets of photos that Mandyy posted! Poor girl! She is much more beatiful (and she is beatiful, indeed) without it!

Vanesa.

 

[SyberiaWinx]

I think her expressions in the photos could be misread. Leaving home alone to travel to another country would make anyone scared. But think about this-maybe her smiling or not smiling has to do with other things. Leaving and returning home, she was probably swarmed by media and very nervous or maybe even shy. The ones during her vacation were probably taken by a single person. It can be hard to smile when you know so many people are swarming and staring at you.

 

[mandyy]

My translation of news from Asahi news
Princess Mako was greeted by her family upon her arrival back home at the Akishino Residence within the Akasaka Palace grounds. The family took a photograph together to remember this special moment upon Mako's arrival from her 1st solo overseas trip.

Below is the photo I believe Asahi news was reporting about
from www.yuko2ch.net

 

[mayu12]

off-topic: when was this picture taken? her hairstyle looks different, almost like.. a normal layered japanese hair. O.O usually her hairstyles are with bangs or no bangs.

 

[mandyy]

from www.yuko2ch.net
#1: photo of Mrs. Bush holding baby Mako when she and the president visited Japan shortly after Mako was born
#2: cute photo of Mako bowing
#4: Photo of Mako and Kako bidding farewell to Empress Nagako during the Empress' funeral