On January 18, local time, the "Song Festival" was held in the "Matsuma" of the Imperial Palace as a regular event for the Chinese New Year in Japan, and the theme of this year's ceremony was "Window", with nearly 14,000 entries from Japan and overseas, 10 of which won the prize, and the winners were also invited to sing in the palace on the spot. In addition to these people, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, as well as other members of the royal family, also sang their own works.
The so-called song refers to the Japanese song, which is the traditional Japanese form of poetry, which focuses on restoring a scene that the creator has experienced and making the listener feel immersed.
Emperor Naruhito, 61, was the first to enter, followed by Empress Masako, 58, wearing a blue velvet dress with embroidered patterns, which looked very noble and elegant, which is also her style all along, and it is more graceful as she grows older. It's just that I have to wear a mask, which somewhat affects the shape.
Recently, the Japanese imperial family has also become frugal, and Masako's long skirt was worn by her in January 2020 when she participated in the "Invitation to Book Ceremony". When Masako first became empress, she also added a lot of gorgeous new clothes to her wardrobe, but as the impact of the epidemic on the Japanese economy became more and more significant, the members of the imperial family, including Masako, had to focus on frugality.
At this year's "Invitation to Book" held four days ago, Masako did not appear, and it is reported that it was due to physical reasons. Recently, Masako's health has also become the focus of attention in Japan, and it has been said that she may miss the coming-of-age ceremony of her only daughter, Princess Aiko, for health reasons, but fortunately she still insists on showing her face. Being able to participate in the "Song Festival Ceremony" held today shows that Masako's physical condition has improved.
Although she has become an adult and can participate in royal activities, whether it is "the first ceremony of the invitation to the book" or the "first ceremony of the song meeting", the 20-year-old Aiko is absent, and the explanation given by the royal family is that the princess cannot delay the class when she is in school. However, Aiko also made a breakthrough this year, and the songs she composed also appeared at the ceremony. Because Aiko had gone to Eton College in the United Kingdom to participate in summer activities in high school, she wrote a japanese song "Standing in the British Schoolhouse, Opening the Window of the World", expressing her fond memories of her first time abroad.