On the first day of 2022, Princess Aiko, the beloved daughter of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, wore a long white dress, white gloves on her hands, and was dignified and generous, and participated in a traditional New Year ceremony with her family.
Last December, Princess Aiko turned 20 years old. This means that she can officially enter public life, take on royal duties, and share the worries of her parents. This New Year's ceremony is the first official royal event that Princess Aiko has officially participated in since she became an adult.
At the scene of the ceremony, Princess Aiko stood to the left of her parents, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. Standing in front of her was a group of Japanese ministers.
In the past, Japanese imperial women usually wore dazzling jewelry and crowns to attend such occasions, but since the beginning of the epidemic, Japan's economy has been sluggish, in order to avoid public condemnation, the imperial family has implemented a frugal strategy, and this occasion will no longer see the pearlescent appearance of imperial women.
Princess Aiko had an unhappy childhood.
As a child, she suffered from bullying and anxiety from her classmates, and even dropped out of school.
On her 8th birthday, it was revealed that her hobbies included calligraphy, skipping rope and writing poetry. At the same time, it was revealed that she had played the piano and violin since she was a child.
In 2010, however, she was anxious about the "barbaric behavior" of her classmates and did not attend school for a while. She did not attend the graduation ceremony or the welcome ceremony for her third-year freshmen.
She began to attend only 3 hours of classes a day in the company of her mother, and also took leave due to a cold. At the time, royal officials said the princess was receiving private tutoring while she was not in school.
A year later, she was also hospitalized with pneumonia caused by persistent high fever and cough.
After returning to school, she joined the school orchestra to play the cello and began learning English.
However, in 2016, Due to the fatigue brought about by the pressure of the exam, Princess Aiko missed a month of classes, and people once again worried about her health.
Royal officials confirmed again that the teenage girl had been complaining of stomach upset and dizziness, which they believed was caused by her nervousness in practicing for exam revisions and athletics competitions.
The official photos released to celebrate Princess Aiko's 15th birthday have sparked concern among the public, showing her looking frail.
In the summer of 2018, she went abroad alone for the first time to participate in eton College's summer program.
Aiko is currently studying Japanese literature at Tokyo Gakuin University while also studying English and Spanish. Her grandfather, Emperor Akihito, and her uncle, Emperor Bunin, also attended the university.
She is also known for her love of animals and has loved riding horses since she was a child. She also enjoys walking her dog, Yuri, and has been raising silkworms since elementary school.
The title of her high school thesis was "Cats and Dogs of the Heian Period through Literature."
According to the Japan Times, a statement previously issued by the Japanese Imperial Family said that Aiko worked hard and sometimes sought help from her mother, Empress Masako.