EHIME, May 18, 2026 (News On Japan) - Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ehime Prefecture for the National Tree Planting Festival, marking their first visit to the prefecture since the Emperor’s accession to the throne and their first joint visit to Ehime in 27 years.
On the first day of the visit, the imperial couple toured an aquarium operated by a high school aquarium club, the only one of its kind in Japan. After hearing students explain their research on clownfish, the Emperor reportedly smiled and said, "I used to keep clownfish in an aquarium myself."
On May 17th, ahead of the tree-planting ceremony, the couple visited Tobe Zoo and met Peace, the polar bear that became the first in Japan to be successfully raised through artificial nursing.
Speaking with the dedicated keeper who raised Peace after the cub was abandoned by its mother, the Emperor and Empress expressed their appreciation, telling the keeper, "Peace is a happy child to have been cared for with such affection from a young age."
The Empress was reportedly moved to tears, saying, "It was my dream to meet Peace."
The couple also visited Jennifer, a female orangutan at the zoo. Before leaving, the Empress reportedly told the zoo director, "When I was a child, I wanted to become a zookeeper."
In the evening, local residents welcomed the imperial couple with a traditional lantern celebration known as "Chochin Hougei."
As people waved lanterns and shouted celebratory greetings toward the hotel where the couple were staying, two lanterns held by the Emperor and Empress appeared from a darkened room in response.
During their stay, the imperial couple also met with people affected by the devastating western Japan floods eight years ago, concluding their two-day visit on May 17th.
Source: FNN
