On Thursday, December 11, 2014, His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (TMAM) to view the exhibition, Arte a Firenze da Botticelli a Bronzino: Verso una Maniera Moderna.

According to the official website for the TMAM the exhibition:

“…trace[s] the development of Florentine art from the 15th to the 16th century through works from the collection of the world-famed Uffizi Gallery, Florence’s oldest art museum, founded to house the art collections of the Medici family.

The Uffizi Gallery is renowned for its excellent collection of works by Sandro Botticelli, one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance. Through paintings by Botticelli—including his famed Pallas and the Centaur—and works by Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Agnolo Bronzino, and other leading figures of 16th-century Florentine art, some 80 pieces in all, this exhibition will convey the essence of the astonishingly rich and varied Florentine Renaissance.”

Arte a Firenze da Botticelli a Bronzino: Verso una Maniera Moderna will be open to the public until December 14, 2014.

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On Thursday, December 4, 2014, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan began their two-day visit to Hiroshima.

Today, Their Imperial Majesties placed “…flowers at the cenotaph for victims of the 1945 atomic bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park…” as well as visited a nursing home.

On Monday, November 10, 2014, Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan attended the opening ceremony of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Nagoya in the Aichi Prefecture, Japan.  The theme of this year’s three-day conference, Learning Today for a Sustainable Future.

During today’s opening ceremony Crown Prince Naruhito gave a speech in which he noted:

“On our earth today, along with economic growth and increasing populations, we are also witnessing the advancing change of climate, loss of biodiversity, depletion of natural resources, increases in poverty and other problems.  For our children and theirs, we have three important tasks: protecting the Earth’s environment, which is the wellspring for ensuring lives abundant with blessings, treasuring the Earth’s limited resources, and achieving sustainable development.”

On November 9, 2014, Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan arrived in the Aichi Prefecture for a two-day visit. 

Tomorrow, Crown Prince Naruhito will attend the opening of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural (UNESCO) 2014 World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development.  Held under the theme, Learning Today for a Sustainable Future, the conference will “…celebrate [the] achievements made and identify lessons learnt, while setting the stage for the future of ESD through the Global Action Program…” according to the official website for UNESCO.

On Thursday, November 6, 2014, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan accompanied by His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, Their Imperial Highnesses Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan, along with other members of the Imperial family hosted the traditional autumn garden party held at the Akasaka Imperial Garden in Tokyo.

According to Kyodo News, over 2,100 guests attended today’s event including Sochi Paralympics alpine skiing gold medalist, Mr. Akira Kano.

On October 22, 2014, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan viewed the exhibition entitled, Life of the Emperor and Empress, held at the Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Japan.