Japan’s Princess Sayako Tours Asian Museum

Japan’s Princess Sayako made an unofficial stop in San Francisco to take a private tour of the country’s largest museum devoted to Asian art.

Princess Sayako, 34, the emperor’s only daughter, made her first overnight stop in the city on her way home from a diplomatic visit to South America.

She walked through the Asian Art Museum’s Buddhist galleries, a Japanese teahouse and a special exhibit honoring the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan.

The princess took a particular interest in quail and other winged species in the historical paintings.

“She explained some of the bird exhibits to us,” said Yoko Woodson, curator of Japanese art at the museum. “She really revealed that she was a scholar. She taught us a lot.”