Next week will see the 退位 (taii, abdication) of the current Emperor, who will pass the role on to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, on May 1.

It's a historic event, made even more so because the current Emperor is still alive. Usually this kind of handover comes under much sadder circumstances, primarily the 天皇陛下の崩御 (tennō-heika no hōgyo, death of the Emperor).

What's interesting about the phrase above is that it includes words belonging to the realm of 皇室用語 (kōshitsu yōgo) or 最高敬語 (saikō keigo), terminology and language used exclusively for the Imperial family. While the rest of us simply grow old and either 亡くなる (nakunaru, pass away) or, more bluntly, 死ぬ (shinu, die), the Emperor will 崩御される (hōgyo sareru, "become passed away").