Empress Emerita Michiko turned 88 on Thursday and has managed to continue with her long-standing daily routines along with her husband, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, even after moving into a new residence to make way for their son Emperor Naruhito and his family.
At what is now called the Emperor Emeritus' Residence on the Akasaka Estate, the former empress takes a morning and evening walk with her husband, also 88, and reads books aloud after breakfast, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The couple moved back into the Akasaka residence in April for the first time in around 30 years, completing a swap with the emperor and his family, who moved into the Imperial Residence within the Imperial Palace in September 2021. Naruhito ascended to the chrysanthemum throne on May 1, 2019.