Princess Aiko celebrates “Chakko-no-Gi” (Video)

The recent birth of a male heir may have killed her chances of becoming Japan’s monarch in the future, but Princess Aiko still seems to get adoring coverage from the media:

Princess Aiko, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, appeared in a traditional costume on Saturday for the ancient “Chakko-no-Gi” ceremony, celebrating her passage from infancy to childhood.

The ceremony, which has been a tradition in the Imperial Family since the Heian Period, is performed for children around the age of 5, offering prayers for their health and growth. Princess Aiko took part in the ceremony on Saturday at the Togu Palace in Tokyo’s Moto-Akasaka district.

During the ceremony, court ladies dressed the young Princess in a deep purple kosode (short-sleeved silk jacket) and hakama (culottes). Over these, Princess Aiko wore a red uchiki (long jacket) bearing a chrysanthemum pattern. In her hand she held a fan.

The kosode and hakama were presented to Princess Aiko by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. After praying at the temporary hall of the Kashidokoro sanctuary in the Imperial Palace, Princess Aiko was taken by the Crown Prince and Princess to greet the Emperor and Empress.

Princess Aiko turns 5 on Dec. 1. According to the Imperial Household Agency, she has fun playing with her friends at kindergarten, enjoys playing the Japanese word game “Shiritori,” and often she sings songs such as “Donguri Korokoro” (A rolling acorn) in the car on the way to and from kindergarten.

In an autumn trip in the middle of last month, she embroidered her name on a bag in Roman letters. She reportedly sometimes helps her mother, Crown Princess Masako, to make her packed lunch.

At the Togu Palace where she lives, Princess Aiko enjoys picking flowers in the garden and having races, and plays games with stuffed toys, pretending to look after them. She sometimes displays the flowers she picks in the rooms of her parents and palace workers. Recently, she has been practicing riding a bicycle using trainer wheels, and she reportedly has an interest in old words from picture-card shows, which she uses herself. (Mainichi)

Luckily, a Japanese YouTube user combined the media coverage of this event into one video clip, so viewers won’t miss out on footage of Aiko-sama walking around in her traditional costume:

While Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito have been making an effort to raise Princess Aiko in a more “normal” way, it’s interesting to see them taking part in ancient traditions as well.