Japan Princess Aiko Attends New Year Poetry Event for 1st Time

Tokyo, Jan. 22 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Princess Aiko on Wednesday attended the "utakai hajime" New Year's poetry reading ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for the first time.

Poems created by Imperial Family members and guests were recited in a traditional style at the ceremony in the palace's "Matsu-no-Ma" state room. This year's theme was "yume," or dream.

Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who graduated from university and began working last spring, penned a poem expressing her anticipation of meeting her friends again.

"Until the day we meet again / My friends and I will / Each follow our dreams," reads the English version of her poem released by the Imperial Household Agency.

The Emperor made a poem expressing delight at hearing local children talk about their dreams and aspirations when he took a trip outside Tokyo last year, while the Empress reminisced about her past days studying at Britain's University of Oxford while working at Japan's Foreign Ministry before she joined the Imperial Family.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]