Prince Akishino turns 51

That's amazing! It's just what my family does every day- sit around a table in jackets and shoes, marvelling at a tray of marbles. So cute!

So if you're a member of the Imperial family, you don't have to take your shoes off inside?

I have such a crush on Princess Mako.

I have such a crush on Princess Mako.

She is a very pretty girl and I'm sure that you'll have to join the end of a very long line.

The colors, the fashion, the...occasion? Seems to want to hark back to Showa times...

Where's Japan's Norman Rockwell when you need him?

This looks very spontaneous... Ahem. At least they the background is an improvement over the usual pegboard wall covering that so often appears in these royal family photos.

Photo with pegboard backdrop: https://japantoday.scdn2.secure.raxcdn.com/images/size/x/2014/12/masako.jpg

Timeless photo (sadly). Could have been taken 30 years ago.

Knee-length skirt and blazer for women, shy slightly goofy smile de rigueur.

The young bloke didn't suit up for the occasion though, who does he think he is!?

Happy birthday greetings to Prince Akishino from Indian well-wishers.

Wow, bit of a gloomy picture. Too much brown and beige.

Happy birthday!

Sensato: At least they the background is an improvement over the usual pegboard wall covering that so often appears in these royal family photos. Photo with pegboard backdrop: https://japantoday.scdn2.secure.raxcdn.com/images/size/x/2014/12/masako.jpg

That's an extremely well-appointed garage.

Many Happy returns to Prince Akishino....All impeccably dressed.

Kako-sama spent time pretty normally during her stay(s) in the UK, where she is not really known, so they could dispense with most of the secret service detail and allow her to go about her studies freely and join the Japanese students' society for example. Must feel very restrictive being back in Japan after that.

Well pop, I was just thinking as I gazed at this tray of large marbles, that I am so lucky that I will never have to work a day in my life

I too had that problem in Japan, that my knees never seemed to fit under tables.

These royal photos always seem so bizarre in their settings. I guess at least it's good there are so many photos in the first place

Each photo of them is the same, father and son are the center while the ladies happily observe. To me this is misogyny. Subtle? Maybe. Just like Japanese TV.

Must feel very restrictive being back in Japan after that.

You don't need to be a royal to feel that way, ask any japanese who spent some time abroad.

They really don't look happy

Yup. The camera guy came in when the royal family just happened to be well-dressed, looking at a plate of....uhm....jawbreakers?

Photos like this could have been the inspiration for the White House's mannequin challenge.

Could have been taken 30 years ago.

No, the father in the picture had greying hair then.

They need a foreigner in their family