Happy 50th birthday

Masako san gives credence to the book "Why Japanese woman never get old or fat". My wife is the same. She just refuses to age, gracefully or otherwise. As the years pass by I'm looking more and more like a cradle snatcher.

That's a nice family photo, perfectly orchestrated in excruciating detail or not. They look like a nice bunch, I wish them a happy year.

Princess Aiko is becoming very pretty.

The dog (Yuri) strikes a great pose ! Great family photograph !

Mmm looks like a madame Tussaud set up...

Can't they afford nice wall paper?

Couldn't they put a loving hand on each other, at least feign half a hug, something to not look so....cold and planned?

happy birthday princess Masako hope you have many more love the dog.

Now that is a good-looking dog.

Nice family photo and even nicer family!

Happy Birthday, Princess Masako!

I wish they made more of the fact that Yuri is a rescue dog. Might spur more people to give a home to a dog that needs one, instead of forking out hundreds of thousands of yen to puppy breeders.

aiko sama is the spitting image of her father! in japanese culture, that means she will have a lot of luck in her future.

PARTY!!!! Ur, hmmm, no, probably not.

Nice family picture. I hope that don't use peg board through out the palace. I'm surprised there are no tools hanging from the wall behind them.

Wow, Aiko sure grew up pretty fast! Nice pic, but the dog looks like it was photoshopped in there. Probably the flash.

Sorry but that's a horrible family photo! Masuko and Naruhito are not touching at all. Masako and Aiko are only touching arms. They all look awkward and uncomfortable. It looks like it was taken in a garage and the color of the wall and couch, not to mention Masako's sweater makes them all looked washed out and tired. They're all smiling/grimacing and the dog is cute so if that constitutes a nice photo, then yes, well done. Seriously though, couldn't they have done a little better? It's not like they're unattractive people but that photo just does none of them any justice.

Ironic that Masako is the only one in the photo who's genuinely smiling. Hope that's a sign that she's getting better.

Looks like a Softbank poster.

And like another poster mentioned, what is with the perforated acoustic panel as a background??

But still, happy birthday Masako. I hope it's a good one and you are getting better.

Wow the daughter has become huge!

I can understand the views of some of you here concerning the background wall. Yet, based on their attire, seems to me they simply want to reflect an ordinary image. It will be a whole different ball-game, if they were dressed formally or in traditional kimonos !! As body contact goes...Yes, it is a sad scene expressing no emotions. Yet - this is Japan and in a very traditional pose. It is against their standards to hold, embrace or even kiss in public.

With all this said... Happy Festive Birthday to You, Princess Masako !!! May you have a super-special-heaps of fun day with beautiful experiences, best wishes - always !!

AramaTaihenNoYouDidnt: Yet, based on their attire, seems to me they simply want to reflect an ordinary image. It will be a whole different ball-game, if they were dressed formally or in traditional kimonos !! As body contact goes...Yes, it is a sad scene expressing no emotions. Yet - this is Japan and in a very traditional pose. It is against their standards to hold, embrace or even kiss in public.

First off, they're not ordinary. They are the royal family and as much as I am personally opposed to royalty, to pretend that they are simply some run of the mill Japanese family is ridiculous and an insult to all of those whose taxes go towards supporting them and their "ordinary" lifestyle.

Second, I'm not saying that they should dress up in traditional clothing but something a little more colorful, that doesn't make them look so washed out and dour, the background in particular. It's almost comical how much it looks like a tool board.

Third, as for it supposedly being against the standard here to hold, embrace or even kiss in public, that standard has changed somewhat. Certainly, I see a fair number of young people holding hands and kissing in public and if you google Japanese family photos you'll see plenty of Japanese families who manage to look affectionate and emotive in their photos without being undignified or over-the-top.

I wonder if they've ever been to Tokyo Disneyland.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Masako-sama.

I find this picture very "bland" and inexpressive, compared to this http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8CAEryey1tfJA35cbUz1vxRlaGbeURGp0FWRRy4LpAMGNSOF3

@cleo

I wonder if they've ever been to Tokyo Disneyland.

Yep. March 13, 2006. All three went together, with an escort of a thousand police, mostly plain-clothed

Why the negative thumbs down, it was like yesterday that the daughter was born, how time flies!

March 13, 2006. All three went together, with an escort of a thousand police, mostly plain-clothed

So she'd be 5 years old? I bet she enjoyed it.

I wonder if the thousand plain-clothes police all had passport tickets.

When you are well taken care of you do not age so quickly.

Couldn't they at least feign a hug or something or at least put a table with a nice flower arrangement in the middle?