Emperor Naruhito on Thursday visited Shine Mongol School, a private school in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, that incorporates Japanese-style education, with its school uniforms, school lunches and club activities.
After being greeted by students, the emperor inspected a Japanese class for high school students.
In response to students speaking in Japanese, including about their dreams of studying in Japan, the emperor said, "I'm very glad to see you studying with such high aspirations."
The school's predecessor, Shine Mongol High School, was founded in 2000 by Janchiv Galbadrakh, 62, who studied at Yamagata University in northeastern Japan and whose eldest daughter attended a high school in Japan.
Shine Mongol High School has evolved into a comprehensive educational institution offering elementary through high school education and also featuring a college of engineering and a Japanese-style technical college known as kōsen.
Later on Wednesday, Emperor Naruhito visited Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a key temple in the country that has been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.
The emperor walked inside the temple while watching tsam, a traditional dance with masks, and viewed a 26-meter-tall deity statue.
Before leaving the temple, the emperor received a bouquet from a 10-year-old monk named Gungaagarmaa and told him, "Please come to Japan when you grow up."
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