Ceremonies related to the Emperor's enthronement were held in a celebratory mood on Wednesday after the Heisei era ended with the previous Emperor's abdication.
The new Emperor drew a cheering crowd near the Akasaka Imperial Palace in Minato Ward, Tokyo, as he headed to the Imperial Palace on Wednesday morning. The Emperor left for the Imperial Palace by car at about 9:50 a.m. He waved with a smile to the people, who had started to gather there at about 9:30 a.m. for a glimpse of him.
On Wednesday morning, two ceremonies were held in the Matsu-no-Ma state room of the Imperial Palace: the Kenji-to-Shokei-no-gi, in which a new emperor inherits the Imperial Regalia and Seals, and the Sokui-go-Choken-no-gi, an emperor's first audience after acceding to the throne. Unlike in the new Reiwa era, the Heisei era saw these ceremonies performed in an atmosphere of deep sorrow shortly after the passing of Emperor Showa.
To start, the attire worn by each emperor and Imperial family members on the two occasions were strikingly different.
In the Heisei-era ceremonies, the then Emperor and male Imperial family members wore morning coats, black ties and mourning bands, while female members were clad in long black dresses and hats with black veils.
This time, male family members wore formal tailcoats, and the new Emperor attended wearing around his neck the nation's highest-ranking medal of merit, which passed into his possession on Wednesday. Female members wore white long dresses, medals and tiaras.
The previous Kenji-to-Shokei-no-gi ceremony was held only 3-1/2 hours after Emperor Showa died. After performing the ceremony, the then Emperor signed official documents designating the name of the new era as Heisei, and that night he attended the wake for Emperor Showa. Two days later, he was present at the Sokui-go-Choken-no-gi ceremony, in which he expressed his determination on the occasion of his enthronement. He was busy handling both enthronement ceremonies and the funeral of his father at the same time.
In contrast, the current Emperor attended the Kenji-to-Shokei-no-gi and Sokui-go-Choken-no-gi ceremonies back-to-back on the day he ascended the throne. On Wednesday afternoon, he reported his enthronement to his parents, who are now the joko Emperor Emeritus and jokogo Empress Emerita, and received congratulations from other Imperial family members and officials of the Imperial Household Agency. Related rituals were being held in an atmosphere of jubilation.
Participants to the ceremonies also differed. The Kenji-to-Shokei-no-gi ceremony in the Heisei era was limited to male attendees, but Wednesday's ceremony was joined by Satsuki Katayama, minister in charge of regional revitalization. She became the first woman in the history of Japan's constitutional politics to attend the ceremony.
The Imperial family has continued to follow precedent, with attendees consisting only of adult male members, who are in the line of succession. In the Heisei era, six members attended -- the current Emperor, Crown Prince Akishino, Prince Hitachi and three princes now deceased: Prince Mikasa, Prince Takamado and Prince Tomohito, the eldest son of Prince Mikasa. This time, only Crown Prince Akishino and Prince Hitachi were present at the enthronement rituals, highlighting the decrease in the number of male Imperial family members.
On top of the world
Throughout the Japanese archipelago, people gathered to celebrate the dawn of the new Reiwa era and bid farewell to Heisei, which stretched over more than three decades.
High above Sumida Ward, Tokyo, about 1,900 people attended a party on the Tembo Deck observation deck of Tokyo Skytree.
"Three, two, one, Reiwa!" they counted down, and when the clock struck midnight, windows 350 meters above the nation's capital displayed the name of the new era. Amid cheers and congratulations, the partygoers toasted each other with cans of beer emblazoned with "Reiwa."
At Haneda Airport, the first flight of the Reiwa era by All Nippon Airways took off at 12:05 a.m for Bangkok.
Among those on board was a woman from Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, and her husband. "Next year is the Tokyo Olympics. I want Japan to become more open to the world," said the woman, 27.
A Gujo Odori dance was held in the Hachiman district of Gujo, Gifu Prefecture, on Tuesday night for people who wanted to spend the changeover dancing. Fireworks decorated the sky when the calendar flipped to May 1.
A 22-year-old member of the city's community revitalization corps said, "I'll do my best to help invigorate local areas in the Reiwa era."
Armed with umbrellas, a large crowd of young people and foreigners gathered at Tokyo's Shibuya Scramble Crossing and sent up big cheers of "Reiwa!" when the new era arrived, some giving each other high-fives, a few ignoring red lights to run out into the street.
The Metropolitan Police Department deployed several thousand officers throughout the city. Members of the "DJ Police" squad directed traffic with lighthearted remarks.
'Unforgettable day'
The first day of the Reiwa era was also an auspicious day on the calendar known as Taian, which led many couples to choose it for their wedding ceremonies. Some visited city halls trying to be the first registered in the new era.
Just after midnight on Wednesday, Tsubasa Moriya and Mika Kobayashi exchanged rings at the Karuizawa Prince Hotel in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. After the ceremony, the 34-year-olds from Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, gazed into each other's eyes, smiling and overwhelmed with emotion.
The couple met through a shared hobby of bicycle touring and started dating on Christmas in 2016. Moriya proposed last July.
They chose the first day of the Reiwa era because "we'll never forget our anniversary," they said.
Karuizawa is where the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Emerita met. "They showed the nation how precious the marital bond is. I hope we can learn from their example," Kobayashi said.
Municipalities around the country were open to congratulate new couples submitting their marriage registrations.
About 50 couples visited the ward office of Sumida Ward, Tokyo, to submit marriage registrations in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
On hand were the ward mayor and other staff, congratulating the newlyweds with noisemakers. Couples could also take commemorative photographs holding plates with "Reiwa" and "Heisei" written on them.
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