Royal Couple Gets Warm Hello at School
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WASHINGTON — Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko went to school Tuesday to chat with children who serenaded them in Japanese.
On Day 5 of a 16-day U.S. tour, the royal couple visited children in Japanese classes at Great Falls Elementary School in Virginia.
“It was something the children will never forget,” school Principal Agnes Brown said.
It was a simpler, more local view of America than the glittering dinner the couple attended Monday.
The emperor and empress were greeted by a high school band and chatted with excited kindergartners. The students serenaded the royal couple in Japanese with “It’s a Small World.”
Later, the royal couple lunched with scientists at the National Academy of Sciences and viewed Japanese art treasures at the Library of Congress. They also met with the Smithsonian Institution’s fish experts to discuss one of the emperor’s hobbies.
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