Emperor Leaves Procession, Greets Virginia Onlookers
Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko broke from a formal procession at the University of Virginia on Wednesday to greet a small crowd of onlookers, who included many Japanese and Japanese Americans.
The royal couple, accompanied by Virginia Gov. George Allen, were in this city of about 40,000 people to visit two of the state’s most famous landmarks: Monticello, the home of the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, and the University of Virginia’s Rotunda and Lawn.
The 60-year-old monarch and his wife, who is 59, are on a 16-day, 11-city goodwill tour, their first visit to the United States since ascending the throne in 1989.
The emperor and empress stopped the procession led by a grand marshal at the university and walked over to a crowd of about 100 who were waving a replica of the rising sun--emblem of the Japanese flag.
They bowed slightly, smiled softly and spoke quietly to a number of people.
“I was very happy to see them,” said Rumiko Miyamoto, a University of Virginia student from Tokyo who trembled after handing a bouquet of flowers to the emperor.
“He seemed to get genuine pleasure out of talking to the people,” said University of Virginia President John Casteen.
The couple were expected to tour New York City next.
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