By AYAKO NAKADA/ Staff Writer
January 3, 2020 at 16:20 JST
A bonsai plant spruced up by Prince Hisahito is on display for the new year within the grounds of the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The agency released a photo on Jan. 2 of Hisahito’s contribution to the bonsai decoration that contains a number of plants with auspicious meanings in Japanese, such as the pine, bamboo and plum.
Every year, staff with the agency’s Gardens Division prepare special bonsai decorations for the new year that are displayed at the various residences of imperial family members, including Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
The building in the Akasaka Estate where the bonsai is on display is used for public functions by Hisahito’s parents, Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko.
According to officials of the Crown Prince’s Household, the 13-year-old Hisahito has been helping with the special decorations for close to a decade.
He and his mother visited a garden within the Imperial Palace grounds and followed instructions of agency staff in laying out the moss and special sand for the decoration.
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The special New Year’s bonsai decoration that Prince Hisahito helped prepare (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)
