Emperor and Empress visit Gifu for cultural festivals

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Monday traveled to Gifu Prefecture by bullet train to attend the opening ceremony of national cultural festivals.
The imperial couple arrived at Gifu-Hashima Station just before noon. They waved and smiled at citizens who gathered at the station.
The emperor and the empress attended the opening ceremony of the 39th National Cultural Festival and the 24th National Arts and Culture Festival for Persons with Disabilities at a facility in the city of Gifu.
At the start of the ceremony, the couple, along with other participants, offered silent prayers for the victims of the Jan. 1 earthquake and the September rain disaster that hit the Noto Peninsula.
After expressing sympathy for people affected by the Noto disasters, Emperor Naruhito said he hopes that the festivals will help expand the scope of cultural and artistic activities and lead to the creation of new culture.
Later, the couple talked with those involved in the ceremony. The emperor asked Momoka Furuta, an 18-year-old third-year student at a local high school with a visual impairment who gave a reading on stage, “Have you practiced a lot?”
On Tuesday, the couple inspected exhibits at the festival for people with disabilities. The couple looked at artworks such as paintings and watched people with disabilities create them.
The emperor asked Maki Yamada, 52, a woman with physical disabilities due to cerebral palsy who paints with a brush attached to her foot, “What kind of feeling did you have when you were painting?”
The couple were set to return to Tokyo in the evening after visiting the Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum.