The State Visit of HM the Emperor of Japan

HM The Emperor of Japan

Last year when I was sat in the AGM for the Japan Society, I was very excited to hear that the long awaited, and delayed, state visit of the Emperor of Japan to the UK was rumoured to be happening in 2024. This is a once in a generation event and all the more special given there is both a new emperor and a new king. At that time there was no solid information and rumours continued to fly around for many months afterwards with a great deal of speculation. For more than a year now I have been volunteering my time to photograph Japan Society events and I was hoping and praying that I’d be both in the country when the visit happened, that he would meet the Japan Society and they would need a photographer to capture the moment.

My invitation to the State Visit Reception. I was over the moon when I received it.

The red carpet was rolled out ready and waiting for the emperor.

The Japanese press were also well set up and prepared for his arrival. I wish I too had had a stepping stool to lift myself further above the crowd.

HRH the Duke of Gloucester (R) - Royal Patron of the Japan Society & Bill Emmott (L) - Chairman of the Japan Society, awaiting the arrival of the emperor.

Finally, confirmation came in April that it would be happening and taking place at the end of June. I felt a great sense of relief as I was worried it would be happening in the Autumn when I wouldn’t have been in the country. More on that later. There was of course also the King’s cancer diagnosis to contend with and the final kicker was Rishi Sunak’s rash decision to call an early general election. That almost shelved the whole thing but in the end the decision was given to go ahead and eventually firms date at the end of June were also decided. Initially there was no indication that an event with the Japan Society would take place but given the dissolution of Parliament opened gaps in the emperor’s schedule things fell into place for a state visit reception to be held on Monday 24th June, the day before the official itinerary with the king would begin.

The emperor arrives and walks down the red carpet.

Bill & the emperor on stage.

Bill gave an opening speech to the emperor and those in attendance.

Unfortunately from where I was standing the emperor was partially hidden behind the wonderful flower arrangements.

I was given a heads up that something was happening, but I didn’t want to get too hopefully before I was given anything concrete. When I finally received the official invite, I was quite simply over the moon. Even more so that I would indeed be one of two photographers covering the event for the Japan Society. It’s worth pointing out that the use of mobile phones or taking photos was otherwise strictly prohibited for attendees. Another point of excitement was this was the first event I had been to with our royal patron HRH The Duke of Gloucester, and I believe it was also the first time he had attended an event since before the pandemic. My first time in the presence of royalty.

After Bill’s speech the emperor gave a speech himself, speaking on the close ties between the UK and Japan.

It was very special to hear the emperor speak in person. His English was very good having studied at Oxford in his youth.

The room applauds the emperor after his speech.

Understandably strict protocols meant I had to stand with all the Japanese journalists on a platform off to the side while taking my photos. Being slightly higher than the crowd was a great help, though I did look rather enviously as the photojournalists who’d brought step stools to stand on for further height. Eventually the emperor arrived and walked down the red carpet with the duke behind him. Bill Emmott, the chairman of the Japan Society, gave a short speech to welcome the emperor who then himself gave a speech in English, talking about the close ties between Japan and the UK. He himself embodies that as he was the first member of the Japanese royal family to study outside Japan when he was at Oxford in the early 1980s. Afterwards he made his way down the red carpet to greet various people who were making contributions to bilateral relations. All in all, he was there for half an hour before being whisked away to his next appointment. I didn’t get to personally meet him but to stand just a few feet away and hear him speak in person was still something special.

After the speeches the emperor made his way back along the red carpet meeting some of those in attendance.

This wider shot gives a better sense of how densely people were packed into the room. There were about 400 in total, most are off camera to the right.

The emperor showed a keen interest in each person he met before having to depart.

Afterwards everyone could relax with a few drinks and nibbles, making new connections as well as catching up with old friends, and this was a great opportunity to get lots of photos of people enjoying themselves. I had also hoped the duke would return for a short period of time but given he is a busy man, he too had to head off to another appointment. Perhaps there will be another opportunity in the future.

Afterwards everything became much more relaxed with people socialising with friends new and old.

I had plenty of people tapping me on my shoulder asking for a photo.

Returning to the UK for this state visit was Julia Longbottom - British Ambassador to Japan.

The wonderful flower arrangements were put together by the florist (R). I got to take a few flowers home after the event finished.

That concluded my official business during the state visit but the next day I headed down to The Mall to witness the carriage procession to Buckingham Palace with both the king and the emperor. I initially went to Horse Guard’s to try and get a glimpse of them inspecting the troops. Unfortunately for myself and other members of the public the staging was setup in a way that getting a glimpse was not possible. I then raced back to The Mall and didn’t have to wait long for their arrival. Thankfully they were in open top carriages which made them both easier to see and photograph. No specific times had been given and with the looming general election there had been relatively little fanfare in the media which meant The Mall was quiet. In some places no more than one person deep.

The next day was the start of the official State Visit which saw the king the emperor process down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Thankfully everyone travelled in open top carriages which made them easier to see and photograph.

The king and the emperor, they’ve known each other most of their lives.

Still, it was tricky to get good photos as I would take a few shots and then run to get ahead of the carriage again before trying to shoot through the crowds of people, which increased in size as you got closer to the palace. I didn’t manage to get the clear shot I wanted with the emperor waving in my direction, but I still managed to get the two monarchs together as well as a couple of good photos of Prince William. As I said before, this is a once in a generation event, so it is important to make the most of it.

Waving to the crowds.

The onlooking crowds, it wasn’t easy to shoot through them on the other side.

The empress & the queen. This was the only time I saw the empress as she didn’t attend the event the previous day. She was wearing a face mask due to her allergy to horse hair.

My best photo was of Prince William.

As I also said before, I had been worried about an Autumn visit as I wouldn’t have been in the country. Why? Because in September I am very excited to announce that I will actually be moving to Japan and living there for twelve months. Earlier this year I acquired a working holiday visa, and I cannot begin to describe how excited I am. To fully immerse myself in the country I’ve wanted to visit since I was a child will be a real adventure and I look forward to eventually sharing it with you all on this blog. I’m still pinching myself now that it’s real and actually happening, though I still have a few preparations to make. The events of last week are just a taste of what is to come.

After the procession had finished I captured this photo of the military band before it finally departed.

If you enjoyed this blog then please consider leaving a tip below.