Emperor Akihito's uncle Prince Mikasa, who died of heart failure Thursday at the age of 100, spent the last years of his life peacefully at his residence in Tokyo, taking strolls and enjoying his daily studies and exercise.

The prince, before he became wheelchair-bound in recent years, often took walks with his wife, Princess Yuriko, 93, in the Akasaka Imperial Grounds and enjoyed sunbathing in his garden on sunny days, according to palace staff and others who knew him.

He would wake up at 4 a.m. every morning, listen to a foreign-language learning program on the radio and exercise for about 30 minutes.