Figure 1.-- Here we see the children enjoying the small playground on the ground of the Royal playgriund. The boy while in primry school were often dressed alike. The wear turtleneck sweaters, shirt pants, white ankle socks, and sneakers. Thius might be described as casual mclothes, but they are noit really play clothes. Their baby suster looks on which helps date the image to November 1970. Their formnaly dressed parents watch over them. This was a good example of the ideal middke-class familly presented to the Japanese people. Put your cursor on the imnage to see the Crown Prince and Princess.

We have been unable to find much information on the royal family's actual family life. Except for the number of children, Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko come about as close to the British Victorian model as one can imagine. His father remade the Imperial role from that of a war leader after Japan's defeat in the Pacific war to that of a modern constitutionl monsrchy representing the middle class and supporting dmocracy. [Lamont-Brown] And as part of that role, both Emperor Hirohito and even more his son Akihito have attempted to present a public image of the perfect middle-class family. As far as we know, there has never been a hint of scandal about either the Crown Prince or Princess. The available images certainly suggest a perfect family. Many of the available images are formal portraits, but we see some images of the chilkdren playing, often with the Criwn Prince and Princess formally dressed wathching them. For all intents and purposes they look like the perfect family. We have not yet found any discussion of famiily life. Hopefully our Japanese readers will be abkle to tell us more. The Emperor looks like an afable committed father and the Emperess a decdicated mother. The family lives in the restrictive environment of the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Household Agency. As younger children, the enviromment probably does not seem restriuctive. The children had a kind of playgriund, but not elaborate. And Akihito's children went to a regular primary school. We have found no information about their teenge experiences.

Sources

Lamont-Brown, Raymond. "Japan's imperil family : It's role and meaning in modern Japan" Contemporary Review (September 1999) Vol. 275, i1604, pl18.

Created: 3:55 AM 2/22/2012
Last updated: 3:55 AM 2/22/2012