Overview

• The Duke and Duchess visited Soji-in Temple in Koyasan on Sept. 21, meeting Wakayama Governor Izumi Miyazaki and Head Priest Eimyo Miyata, changing into indoor shoes before a guided tour and exchange of gifts.
• The trip runs Sept. 18–22 on behalf of the King, with further engagements scheduled in the Kansai region including Osaka.
• Earlier in Tokyo, they held an audience with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace, where the Duchess’s deep curtsy drew wide media attention.
• They planted an oak sapling at the Akasaka State Guest House grown from the tree Queen Elizabeth II planted during her 1975 state visit, marking continuity in royal–imperial ties.
• Sophie’s solo program in the capital included visiting a Ukraine mental health center to meet refugees, touring the Nezu Museum and the Miraikan science museum, and attending a sumo tournament where the couple met wrestler Asanoyama and sumo officials.