Japan's Emperor Naruhito has planted rice seeds at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in an annual tradition to promote farming.
The tradition was started by his grandfather, Emperor Showa, and has since been passed down to Emperor Emeritus Akihito and now to Emperor Naruhito.
The Emperor, wearing a blue shirt and gray trousers, arrived at a rice nursery bed at the Imperial Palace at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
As birds chirped in the background, the Emperor squatted down and planted two varieties of rice seeds from last year's harvest at the palace.
He sowed 180 seeds each in 30-by-30-centimeter plots marked with ropes.
The seeds are expected to sprout in about a week.
In May, the Emperor will take the seedlings and plant them in a rice paddy at the palace.
The rice will be harvested in autumn and offered to deities in Shinto rituals at the palace, including the Niiname-sai harvest festival in November.
The tradition was started by his grandfather, Emperor Showa, and has since been passed down to Emperor Emeritus Akihito and now to Emperor Naruhito.
The Emperor, wearing a blue shirt and gray trousers, arrived at a rice nursery bed at the Imperial Palace at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
As birds chirped in the background, the Emperor squatted down and planted two varieties of rice seeds from last year's harvest at the palace.
He sowed 180 seeds each in 30-by-30-centimeter plots marked with ropes.
The seeds are expected to sprout in about a week.
In May, the Emperor will take the seedlings and plant them in a rice paddy at the palace.
The rice will be harvested in autumn and offered to deities in Shinto rituals at the palace, including the Niiname-sai harvest festival in November.
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Summary
Emperor Naruhito continues a traditional practice by planting rice seeds at Tokyo's Imperial Palace, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and predecessor. The activity promotes farming. He planted two varieties of last year's harvest in marked plots on Tuesday afternoon, with sprouting
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ID: fd556459-5d0f-4cb4-bbde-7162bba2258e
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250415_19/
Date: April 15, 2025
Created: 2025/04/16 07:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 04:50
Last Read: 2025/04/16 08:41