Princess touts family’s ties to Canada during visit
LETHBRIDGE — Members of her family helped inaugurate the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge in 1967. In 1992 her parents came to mark its 25th anniversary.
The tradition has continued with Princess Ayako of Takamado. The member of Japan’s Imperial family received a tour of the garden Friday, July 14 as part of a weekend of 50th anniversary events. She also was the guest at a public ceremony that included music and dance, and was joined by dignitaries including Lt. Gov. Lois Mitchell in the unveiling a plaque to mark the visit.
“My mother fondly remembers the visit that she and my father made in 1992, and asked me to convey her best wishes,” the princess told the crowd, as she also congratulated Canada on its 150th birthday. She recalled her father, Norihito, Prince Takamado, who died in 2002, had been a student in Canada and considered it his second home.
“He always said that it was in Canada that he learned the true meaning of living together in harmony and the importance of respecting different cultural traditions and values,” she added.