Wellwishers line streets as William kicks off Japan tour
British royal leaves wife Kate at home as he makes his first trip to the country
Abeaming Prince William was greeted by hundreds of fans as he arrived for his first trip to Japan yesterday, before being whisked off for a nice cup of tea at a traditional teahouse.
The second-in-line to the British throne is touring the country, which adores the British Royal family, without his wife Kate, who is heavily pregnant with the couple’s second child.
A crowd of wellwishers and journalists greeted the young prince at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, where he appeared immaculately turned out in a tie, light blue shirt and dark blue suit despite the lengthy flight from England.
Soon after his arrival, a smiling William accompanied by Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe, sheltered under see-through umbrellas as he boarded a boat to see areas of Tokyo Bay that will play host to some of the main events of the 2020 Olympics.
Later in the day, William took part in a formal tea ceremony in a Japanese garden.
Today he will meet fellow royals Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace before a business conference intended to showcase British innovation.
The prince, who is also Duke of Cambridge, is set to head to Japan’s tsunami-stricken northeast tomorrow, where he will visit a playground for children. The tour will take him to Fukushima, the prefecture that plays host to the nuclear plant that was crippled in the 2011 tsunami.