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Emperor leaves for Ise shrine to mark end of enthronement rites

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Cricky:

I just feel sad for them, as a human trapped in a life with no choice available being controled everyday. Zoo animals and that is sad.

That's true but it is only one side of the coin. You have to look what's on the other side of the coin - a higher sense of mission and pride to be a chosen one in order to carry on the traditions of two thousand years. If you want to know Japan, the value of carrying on traditions and carrying out missions shall not be ignored. In Japan, they are as valuable as inventions and freedom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP47NyeG4wk

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I just feel sad for them, as a human trapped in a life with no choice available being controled everyday. Zoo animals and that is sad.

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kokoro7, i think your points on Naruhito's chance to ingratiate himself and the royal family with his people are spot on, and was not trying to say that long-term observers of Japan and its cultural nuances were not valid. Sorry if it appeared that way. I, too, have lived in Japan for many years (over 17 years); am knowledgable about Japanese society, history, culture, and literature; and am somewhat fluent in Japanese, although my fluency has dropped since I moved to Kansas ten years ago

I was instead trying to point out that non-voters' (I may have incorrectly used the word non-Japanese) opinions were insignificant regarding the spending of Japanese government funds in support of the royal family. This includes the opinions of foreign residents who pay taxes in Japan but are not citizens and do not have voting rights. I did not seek to denigrate short-term tourists, English instructors, or long-term foreign residents of Japan.

Just one foreigner's opinion

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Who would have thought praying to the gods would be so expensive?

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This ancient rite exists because a vast majority of people support its continuation. Even when the lineage of Emperors was at its lowest point, these traditions were still exercised. If the Japanese people do not see fit to continue these traditions, they will handle it themselves. Foreigners have absolutely no right whatsoever on commenting on how this particular tradition is exercised, particularly those of Western countries. Please go destroy your own countries first and leave Japan alone.

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I'm glad to see traditions being continued in Japan, where it seems some are falling by the wayside. That having been said, at a time when the natural typhoon catastrophes hit Japan, causing wide-spread damage and deaths, the imperial family and their handlers could have shown at least some restraint in their lavish spending and used some tax yen to assist the typhoon victims and even the 3/11 victims. Instead, though they were following tradition, their attitude seemed rather contemptuous v-v the needs of the Japanese people. Here, Naruhito had a chance to ingratiate himself and the royal family with his people, but he apparently chose to ignore it, other than paying lip service ("I'll pray for them."). 

@Roten & CaptD: There are non-Japanese people, like myself, who are fluent in Japanese, who have lived in Japan for many years, graduated from a Japanese university, and are highly knowledgeable of Japanese society and history, and who have opinions and insight far beyond the two-week visitor and short-term eikaiwa sensei's. Your assumptions that our opinions are somehow less valid seem misguided.

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Thank you Emperor and Empress.

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Let's see what we have here:

There's a 2,000-year old institution within a culture even older than that, performing its rites and rituals.

Then there's a bunch of people from other cultures who just moved there within the last several years, who are constantly infuriated by the fact that some of the miniscule amount of taxes they pay (given their tiny eikaiwa salaries and whatnot) go to that institution.

Many of these same people are always infuriated by the US dictating to the world how to go about things. But now they scream and yell that a constitutional rule placed on that 2,000-year old culture BY the US ought to be strictly enforced.

Got it.

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Condemnatory statements by non-Japanese are of no consequence in Japanese perceptions of the importance of this traditional and historical event or of how the government spends its funds in support of the imperial family. If the same condemnatory statements were overwhelmingly supported by Japanese there might be some significance to them. The Daisoji rites do not have effects on Japan's foreign policy or its relations with outside nations and thus, no gaikoku opinions are relevant here.

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Vince Black:

A shameless and shocking waste of taxpayer money. The saddest thing of all is how everyone is lapping it up. They've got no idea.

A simple fact is that Japanese people overwhelmingly support and enjoy such historical event. Some do not agree, of course. For example, there was a demonstration against this event. But their supporters are dwindling. There were about 3000 in 1980's, but this year the number have dropped to less than 100 demonstrators.

https://www.bbc.com/japanese/features-and-analysis-48146846

The most Japanese people today see the Emperor as a symbol of peace and consolation in hardships. There is a real-life meaning and values to this event to Japanese.

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A shameless and shocking waste of taxpayer money. The saddest thing of all is how everyone is lapping it up. They've got no idea.

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As a long term resident with a brood of offspring this elongated expensive pantomime......has absolutely no effect, other then tax up on us.

My henously expensive rice might tast better after his prayers but don't think anyone will notice. Our tast buds might need re -education.

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If the government is paying for this, it's a violation of the constitution.

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