Japan crown prince, princess attend gathering in Finland

July 3, 2019

Helsinki--Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko interacted on Tuesday with Japanese residents in Finland and Finnish people associated with Japan.

The gathering, held at the official residence of the Japanese ambassador to Finland in Helsinki, brought together 29 people, including officials of Japanese groups and musicians active in Finland. The couple talked to the participants one by one.

When the popularity of Japanese food in Finland came up in conversation, the Crown Prince said that he watched "Kamome Shokudo," a Japanese movie about a Japanese restaurant in Helsinki, before leaving for the tour to Poland and Finland.

Earlier on Tuesday, the royal couple visited the national museum, an art museum and Helsinki Cathedral.

At the national museum, the couple viewed a wall scroll that the Crown Prince's grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, who is known posthumously as Emperor Showa, gave to the first Finnish charge d'affaires to Japan.

They also saw a float used in a memorial event to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Finland. Jiji Press