Society

Emperor, Empress to visit ritual sites next month

Oct 29 (NHK) - The Imperial Household Agency says Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit three prefectures in western Japan next month for ceremonies related to the Emperor's enthronement.

The Imperial couple will first make a three-day visit to Ise City in Mie Prefecture from November 21. They will stay at their lodge in the Jingu, or the Great Shrine at Ise.

On the second day, they will go to the Jingu's Outer Shrine, which is dedicated to a goddess of harvests and industry. On the third day, they will worship at the Inner Shrine, where the Sun Goddess is enshrined. The purpose of the visits is to report that the Emperor's enthronement ceremonies have been completed.

After their return to Tokyo, the Emperor and Empress will travel to Kashihara City in Nara Prefecture on November 26. The next day, they will pay their respects at the mausoleum of Emperor Jinmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan.

They will then move on to neighboring Kyoto Prefecture. During a two-day stay in the old capital city of Kyoto, they will visit the mausoleums of two ancestral emperors. The couple will also hold a tea party at the Kyoto Imperial Palace for representatives of various circles in the region.

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