Princess Sayako: Leaving the life of a "fish in a cage with a bird" to run after an orphan boy who moved Japan

Meeting the fate of her life, Princess Sayako did not hesitate to give up her glorious life in the palace to take care of her own happiness, even though her partner is a commoner, fatherless.

Princess Sayako was born on April 18, 1969, the third child of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Unlike her older brothers, who are now Emperor Naruhito and Crown Prince Fumihito, Sayako was raised with the assumption that one day she would marry and become a commoner. For 10 years from 1977, while still in elementary school, Sayako went on private trips with her mother. While in junior high, Sayako studied traditional Japanese buyō dance and performed in public at the National Theater.

In 1988, Sayako studied Japanese Language and Literature at Gakushūin University - the same major that Princess Aiko is currently studying. A year later, Emperor Hirohito died and her father Akihito became Emperor. After graduating in 1992, Sayako became a research assistant at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, where she worked two days a week. At that time, Sayako was the first Japanese Princess to pay a salary. Later, as a researcher, Sayako wrote a report on bird observations around the Imperial Palace and Akasaka estate.

Princess Sayako also fulfills her duties as an adult member of the Royal Family, making official visits to 14 countries, including 8 of which traveled alone, such as a trip to Brazil in November 1995, marking 100 years of importance. diplomatic relations between Japan and Japan. Sayako also participates in dog training and other welfare activities, and is a confidant and source of emotional support for parents.

At that time, many talented men offered to marry Princess Sayako in order to keep a close relationship with the royal family, but all were rejected because she did not want to bury her happiness in a single marriage. family without love.

By chance during a tennis match hosted by her brother, Prince Akishino, Princess Sayako meets the other half of her life, Yoshiki Kuroda, a very ordinary urban designer.

It is known that the two have known each other since childhood because Yoshiki is a close friend of Prince Akishino and studied together at Tokyo University. However, the class gap when she was the princess of the whole country and he was just an orphaned father, neither of them thought that one day they would come together.

After that fateful day, Princess Sayako and Yoshiki kept in touch through phone, text, and email. It is rumored that Yoshiki confessed to his girlfriend via mobile text message and Kyodo News called this "love in the new generation".

In 2005, the couple officially became husband and wife after Princess Sayako renounced her royal status and changed her surname to her husband's last name. As for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, both respect their daughter's choice because they themselves fully understand what happiness is when finding the right half of their lives. Before Princess Sayako followed her husband back to the palace, Empress Michiko reassured her daughter that their relationship would not change, despite Princess Sayako marrying a commoner and no longer a member of the royal family. .

After moving out of the palace, Princess Sayako no longer enjoys any other privileges other than the $1.2 million bride price. Princess Sayako and her husband lived in a 3-bedroom rented house, and the fact that she had to personally clean the house surprised many people.

After marrying and becoming a commoner, Sayako became a full-time housewife. Former Princess Sayako is often seen out shopping for food and household items. At first, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officers were assigned to stand at a discreet distance to protect the former Princess. This level of protection is now reduced. The police will occasionally be present at certain locations near the area where the former Princess and her husband live.

The year 2012 ushered in a new turning point that changed the life of former Princess Sayako, when she became an assistant to High Priestess Atsuko Ikeda - Emperor Akihito's sister - at Ise Shrine. In 2017, Sayako took over the position of Chief Priestess of the Ise Shrine - a position always held by a member of the Imperial House or former Imperial House of Japan. The former princess now spends a few weeks each year leaving Tokyo, living in the Ise Shrine. Before her father abdicated in April 2019, Sayako was present when her parents went to Ise Shrine to announce the news to goddess Amaterasu.

After 18 years of marriage, Kuroda Yoshiki was promoted in April 2021, from the head of the urban planning department to the position of General Supervisor. According to Nippon, department heads in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government typically receive an annual salary of 10 million yen ($87,000), but new positions pay more. Around this time, the former Princess and her husband completed the home loan payment, after 15 years of marriage.

Occasionally, Princess Sayako still appears at some important events of the Japanese royal family. When her granddaughter - Princess Aiko - became an adult on December 5, 2021, Sayako lent Aiko the crown to share difficulties with people amid the pandemic. This tiara was minted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko using their own money when Sayako turned 20 in 1989. In this ceremony, former Princess Sayako and her husband Yoshiki stood out with their simple image. among VIP guests. They drove a popular car to the Royal Palace and dressed simply. Looking at her radiant face, people know that deciding which year to get married is very right, it is better to be a free person to enjoy life with the man you love than to live in the scene of "fish in a bird's nest". cage". It was this that made Princess Sayako a "commoner" respected and admired by the Japanese.

The "world's loneliest" princess graduated from university, her sweet beauty caused a fever Minh Ngọc1 year agoOn the morning of March 20 (local time), the Japanese Princess received a lot of media attention after arriving at the campus of Gakushuin University, a school only for aristocrats and royalty, to attend the ceremony. his career.