Happy birthday

Big Bonsai ? Banzai (long life, cheers) ! Happy Birthday !

Were the imperial radiation checkers out there to ensure his safety ahead of time? No doubt.

Out of the picture were Tokyo Fire and Rescue Squad, a doctor, paramedic, and ladder... in this nicely posed picture.

But looks like mum has aged a lot, looks more like grandma, though the clothes are rather unflattering for a Royal Family member.

Even the royal family has to hide from the rising water?

Yeah, like he really climbed up there all by himself. Nice attempt at trying to make out he is just another normal little boy.

I wish every little boy and girl in Japan had a back garden with enough room to run around in and a nice big tree to climb. And a mum with the time to watch him climb it.

Happy birthday, little boy.

Next in line to the throne after the prince--and loving it.

That photo looks incredibly staged and unnatural to me.

and we were hoping here at home that Princess Aiko would be the one next in line to the throne. =sighs=

@Cleo

I wish every little boy and girl in Japan had a back garden with enough room to run around in and a nice big tree to climb. And a mum with the time to watch him climb it.

When I visit my in-laws, there is a park across the street FULL of kids.

In contrast, most parks in Australia are empty. When I take my family, other kids wander up out of curiosity.

In-laws in Japan that is.

@tokyokawasaki

That photo looks incredibly staged and unnatural to me.

Are you referring to your avatar?

If you mean this story's picture, please explain how you came to your conclusion. My son climbs trees. Neither my wife or I force him. I think you will find this is normal but don't take my word for it. Go out and conduct a survey.

@bilderberg_2015

My 3 year old son can climb trees like that. The problem is stopping him.

@wanderlust

But looks like mum has aged a lot, looks more like grandma, though the clothes are rather unflattering for a Royal Family member.

What should she be wearing?

It might or not be a candid photo but the expressions could be genuine. Give them a break.

If you mean this story's picture, please explain how you came to your conclusion

I'm not tokyokawasaki, but my conclusion is also that this photo was staged.

It is no accident that the official birthday photo is of the Little Emperor perched above his mother with his hand outstretched ready to bless her as she looks reverently up at his Imperial Highness.

It is without a doubt propaganda by the Imperial Household to reinstate Emperor worship, and promote this little tyke as Japan's Messiah.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

Dawwwwww, so this is what my taxes pay for.

Happy Birthday!!! Prince Hisahito-sama!!!

~YAWN~

I mean no disrespect for the lovely little boy but I wonder why the japanese media is not doing more coverage and taking pictures of the little children in Tohoku? I am MORE interested in seeing news articles and photos of the people affected in those areas, especially the children. It is a bad thing to be REAL? I'm just being honest with myself. (-_-)

Looks like child and grandmother to me.

NOt a cute kid with grand mother at a tree.

Looks like child and grandmother to me.

INDEED!! LOL

I wonder what happened to that young and radiant Princess Kiko that was on the pictures happily pregnant with her little boy... (-_-)

Me too blue. She looks like my husbands mother, and she is not too young.

Seriously, a kid in a tree and his mum. Why so much J-Hate? So very sad.

Even "Happy Birthday!!! Prince Hisahito-sama!!!" from ChopriCana gets thumbs down?

He's 4, going on 5...

Reformedbasher: If you mean this story's picture, please explain how you came to your conclusion. My son climbs trees. Neither my wife or I force him. I think you will find this is normal but don't take my word for it. Go out and conduct a survey.

Just look at it again. You just know someone said. OK place the boy in the tree, and then you stand there looking at him as if you do this all the time.

That is what I was referring to as 'looking staged'. It's not an insult either, it is just an observation.

@tokyokawasaki

You are right. He is way too little to get that high up on his own. Maybe his grand father put him there for granny mommy to stare at him.

@tokyokawasaki & JapanGal

Agree that it does look a bit staged, but I saw him climb up there by himself on TV. Wasn't a particularly difficult tree to climb, even for a four-year old, and it looked like he'd done it a few times before....

Princess Kiko is only 44, I wonder what made her look so old. Happy Birthday to the little one. He is such a cute boy.

Princess Kiko always gave off creepy Stepford wife vibes. I like Masako and the Empress better. Both seem much more personable.

Thanks Luca. Did not see that on the news.

@Foxie: maybe it is not her. Could be a nanny.

@JapanGal

He is way too little to get that high up on his own

No, he's not. My son is a year younger and can climb that high.

It may have been staged. It probably was. Still, it looks incredibly natural for a photograph approved by the Imperial Household Agency. It is a great improvement over the standard stiff poses.

I remember when a photographer was banned from taking photographs of the Imperial family because he published one that looked too natural. Maybe it was Princess Kiko adjusting Prince Akishino's hair for the official photographs.

Today was his 5th Birthday,so Happy Birthday seems an appropriate comment.

have you noticed? almost every comment here is negative. i wish the innocent boy a happy birthday. but there's obviously something wrong and artificial about monarchies in this day and age.

a kid and a mother happy together

Aiko-sama wuz robbed!

gosh..she looks so old now...the stress of being a Princess must have really gotten into her.

We don't see the whole tree, so for all we know he COULD climb up there on his own. I agree it's staged, though. If it had been a candid photo of me and my mom, my mom would NOT be smiling at me and instead be yelling at me to get down before I rip my clothes on a branch. Add to that the fact that the photo was released by the Imperial Household Agency, and the probability of a staged event increases ten-fold.

You can easily find the video footage of the little boy climbing the tall tree very swiftly . Japan?Gal, don't be so jealous.