Prince Hisahito of Akishino Turned 9 Years of Age
Prince Hisahito, heir to His Highness Imperial Prince Fumihito of Akishino, celebrated his 9th birthday September 6.
Prince Hisahito is in the third grade of the primary school attached to Ochanomizu University. He has additional lessons in science and social studies and now has 6-lesson days three times a week. He is quite healthy and eagerly studying.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, Prince Hisahito had a lesson in science using a wheel to study the functions of wind and rubber, and he displayed a keen interest in collecting accurate data.
After school, Prince Hisahito joined his classmates in hunting insects, frogs, etc. and made sure the collected animals be returned to where they were when hunted.
At his residence on the grounds of the Akasaka Detached Palace, Prince Hisahito also finds time to use his favorite insect net to catch and study dragonflies, cicadas, beetles, etc. He seems interested in insects and the environment they live in. Prince Hisahito often walk about the brook and pond in the palace ground.
Inside the residence, Prince Hisahito enjoys "trips" on the terrestrial globe, checking the places he has been and talking about languages spoken in various places in the world.
This summer, in commemoration of 70th year after the end of the World War II, Prince Hisahito joined his parents. Their Highnesses Fumihiko and Kiko and sister Princess Kako to visit a special exhibition "1945: Air Raids, End of the War and Post-war Recovery" showing objects and materials depicting the life during and after the war. He also visited memorial events on Okinawa.
Spotting a bar graph showing the victims of air raids in various parts of Japan, Prince Hisahito remarked Hiroshima leading other cities in the total number of casualties. His Highness Fumihito explained him the effects of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
