The Crown Princess and her 7-day-old daughter, Princess Aiko, were discharged from the hospital Saturday and returned to the Crown Prince's Palace in central Tokyo, cheered along their route by some 3,500 well-wishers.
The Crown Princess, clad in a white suit, left the Imperial Household Agency Hospital via an exit set aside for Imperial family members, holding the newborn princess dressed in white swaddling clothes decorated with frills. The Crown Prince accompanied his wife and the child, who was asleep.
The baby weighs 3,136 grams, a gain of 34 grams since her birth, but is still 49.6 cm long, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The couple returned to the palace from the hospital by car, Princess Aiko placed between them in a child seat.
Well-wishers shouted: "Princess Aiko" and "Congratulations" and waved the Hinomaru flag as the three were driven home. Princess Masako opened the window to wave and smile back to the crowds.
According to the agency, the princess was able to walk inside the hospital the day after the Dec. 1 delivery and breast-fed her baby girl for the first time on Monday.
Both mother and child are in good health, the agency said, adding that Princess Aiko's cries were loud enough to be heard outside the room of the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess opted to leave the hospital with her daughter a week after the baby's birth because she and the Crown Prince wanted to begin raising the child on their own at their palace as early as possible, according to the agency.
The Crown Princess turns 38 today, but no events have been scheduled given the recent birth.
On Monday, the names and Princess Aiko's date of birth will be registered in the Imperial family registry.