Recently, those who have passed by Green Park and Buckingham Palace should have seen the conspicuous Japanese flag:
（图：Japan Forward）
This is because Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have been invited by Charles III to visit the United Kingdom for a week since June 22.
(Photo: ABC News)
In fact, the original visit was planned for 2020, and the emperor and his wife, who had not been on the throne for a long time, were eager to visit the queen. But it was the epidemic at the time, and the matter was postponed until the death of the queen.
The couple also made a special trip to London to attend the Queen's state funeral:
(Photo: Daily News)
It is worth mentioning that from 1983 to 1985, Naruhito studied at Oxford University, and he was also the first member of the Japanese imperial family to study abroad:
(Photo: nippon.com)
At the same time, his wife, Masako, also went to Oxford University to further her studies while working, and received a master's degree in international relations in 1990:
(Photo: Daily Mail)
Perhaps thinking of his youth, Britain also has a special meaning for the couple.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the visit by the emperor and empress was not for political purposes, but in the hope of promoting a "friendly relationship across generations" between the Japanese and British royal families.
On the afternoon of June 22, the couple's plane landed at Stansted Airport in Essex and received a warm and grand welcome.
Afterwards, the royal couple took a Bentley car sent by King Charles to the center of London.
(Photo: AP News)
On Sundays and Mondays, the emperor and his wife are engaged in "private events," including visits to the Japan House, an institution that disseminates Japanese culture, and meetings with representatives of Japanese in the UK and British personalities with important ties to Japan.
At the same time, the couple also visited the Thames flood gates, as Naruhito had studied the history of traffic on the Thames while studying at Oxford University.
（图：The Japan News）
Charles also attached great importance to the Naruhito couple's visit, which was also the first time he had received a state visit since he was officially declared to have cancer.
Early in the morning of June 25, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince of Wales, greeted the Emperor and his wife at the hotel and accompanied them to the Royal Horse Guards Parade Ground to participate in the welcoming ceremony:
(Photo: People.com)
Due to her allergy to horsehair, Masako had to wear a mask, but judging by her expression, her mood should be much better than that of Camilla next to her:
(Photo: People.com)
Gifts from the Japanese royal family included a black lacquer box for Charles, a brocade handbag for Camilla, and a photo of Naruhito and his wife.
Charles returned the gift with a pair of gold and silver wine glasses, as well as a bottle of Glengariohe whiskey, and Camilladze presented Masako with a handmade fan with an auspicious symbol.
As a gesture of the highest level of courtesy, Naruhito was awarded the Order of the Order of the Highest Order of the United Kingdom, and Charles was awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum, Japan's highest honor.
(Photo: Sky News)
Throughout the process, Charles held Naruhito's hand and felt like an old friend:
(Photo: Mirror)
Later, Charles and his wife Camilla accompanied the emperor and his wife to luncheon and visited the exhibition of the Japanese Imperial Collection at Buckingham Palace.
I have to say that Masako is still quite elegant and moving:
(Photo: BBC)
Of course, the most anticipated state dinner at Buckingham Palace that night —
(Photo: Sky News)
For this state banquet, Charles spent a lot of money and directly took out the antique silver-gilded tableware that he had treasured for many years to entertain the Naruhito couple, and the visual effects alone were quite impressive:
(Photo: Sky News)
It is said that this set of cutlery was bought by George IV in the early 19th century for £60,000, and its value today is immeasurable!
In order to ensure that the preparation was foolproof, the staff of Buckingham Palace worked overtime every day, and it took eight people about a month just to clean and scrub the dishes......
Not only that, but the table was specially decorated with Japanese maple trees:
（图：Rutland Herald）
There was also a performance by the Royal Academy of Music String Quartet, featuring a British elegance:
（图：Yahoo News Malaysia）
On that day, both Charles and Naruhito wore formal attire, ribbons and medals. Camila and Masako both appeared in white dresses:
(Photo: People.com)
Among them, Camilla also deliberately wore a "family medal" with a portrait of Charles to symbolize her importance in the royal family.
In addition to this, she wore a miniature portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the ribbon on her left shoulder.
(Photo: Daily Mail)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, Liberal Democratic leader Ed David and the Governor of the Bank of England were also in attendance, but unfortunately they did not qualify for the main table.
The guests at the main table were the royal couple, the imperial couple, the core members of the royal family, and other distinguished guests.
Regrettably, Princess Kate did not attend the dinner.
(Photo: BBC)
At the beginning of the dinner, Charles greeted the Naruhito couple in Japanese, toasted them, and said, "Welcome back to England." ”
(Photo: Daily Express)
In the following speech, Charles highlighted the close friendship between Britain and Japan. He said:
"Our partnership is deeply rooted and spans many areas such as science, culture, defence and trade."
"Our governments are working together to provide a stable world for future generations."
（图：New Straits Times）
In his speech, Charles also joked that there are many things in common between the UK and Japan, such as a love of talking about the weather and a love of drinking tea.
除此之外，查尔斯还特别提到了日本对流行文化的一些贡献，例如Hello Kitty、Pokemon的短语“Gotta catch'em all”等等。
In response, Naruhito also stressed the importance of the two countries striving for "true understanding" and spoke of the need to build friendship after experiencing war and conflict and "great difficulties."
(Photo: ABC News)
值得一提的是，晚宴途中播放的歌曲也是精心挑选过的，包括《Don't Know How to Love Him》、《Skyfall》、《They Can't Take That Away from Me》等，不是展示英伦文化风情，就是体现深厚且不可动摇的感情......
(Photo: MSN)
However, what everyone pays the most attention to is the state banquet menu -
According to British media reports, the dinner still used the classic three-course menu:
Appetizer: Scottish langoustines with cucumber and basil sauce, chilled tomato consommé
Main course: Grilled Cornish Fish Fillet with Lettuce and Herb Butter, Sour Cream Sauce with Selected Summer Vegetables, Creamy Potatoes, Spinach Croquettes, Green Beans and Quail Egg Salad
Dessert: Peach sorbet ice cream
In addition, each dish will have a corresponding wine pairing, such as red wine with turbot, white wine with creamy potatoes and spinach croquettes, and rosé wine with dessert.
（图：British GQ）
At first glance, doesn't it feel like the menu is still a bit shabby? But it doesn't matter, the intimate Japanese media has already handed over the steps-
They explained that this is because Charles has always been concerned about environmental issues, so the ingredients used are local organic food and seasonal vegetables in the UK, which are super environmentally friendly and do not use pesticides!
(Photo: The Guardian)
However, there are still some Japanese media and netizens who deliberately turned out the menu of Japan's reception of Queen Elizabeth back then-
Soup: Turtle soup
Cold dish: Berding with sea trout sauce with minced shrimp and scallops
Main course: Roasted quail with foie gras with black truffle, roast leg of lamb with mint sauce
These dishes are all French cuisine made with local Japanese ingredients, carefully tailored to the tastes of the Queen herself, and are both tailored to your needs and accentuated by Japanese characteristics.
It is said that even the noodles at the dinner are hand-ground; The first soup alone took 8 hours......
(Photo: Daily News)
There's no way, the UK, as a food desert, probably really tried its best......
On the last day of their visit, the Naruhito took time to return to their alma mater, the University of Oxford, where they met with Oxford Vice-Chancellor Chris Pattern and Dean Helen Ghosh.
Subsequently, the two planted a cherry blossom tree at Merton College to symbolize friendship.
(Photo: Reuters)
From the young and immature students of the year, to the current emperor and empress, revisiting the old place, I believe that Naruhito and Masako must have felt a lot of feelings in their hearts~
(Kyodo News)
What do you think of Naruhito's trip to the UK? Welcome to speak freely in the comment area~