The annual ceremony of New Year’s Poetry Reading (Utakai Hajime) was held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The Japanese royal ladies attended this event in court dress, just as they did the annual New Years lectures last week.
Empress Michiko, at far left, did not wear a hat. To her right is: Princess Kiko in a grey embroidered calot; Princess Hanako in a marvelous green pillbox wrapped in green fur (or maribou?) studded with wispy grey feathers; Princess Akiko in a pale pink calot; Princess Hisako in a royal blue bumper hat; and Princess Noriko in an embellished terra-cotta orange brimless pork pie hat. It is marvelous to see the ladies in some colour and hats with a bit of personality, isn’t it?!
Photo from The Imperial Family of Japan
Royal Hats 
A color-coordinated presentation! I prefer Princess Hanako’s unusual green enhanced pillbox. The variety of hats, along with the variety of colors, shows how meticulous the Japanese imperial family’s planning is.
It’s really nice to see them all out in color for a change instead of the dull boring grays and beiges. I like Princess Noriko’s hat the best, not only the style but the color looks nice on her, then Princess Akiko’s pink hat is cute, I would wear that hat. The rest of them, dull and boring, and the blue hat is the worst,
I think they all look great again! These hats are really out of the realm of the usual for the Imperial Family. The Princess Akishino always looks so great and polished, but I’m really liking Princess Noriko’s hat; if you described it to me, I’d think it sounded weird, but there’s something about how it looks that I just really love.
I like Princess Hanako’s hat the best. Green is my favorite color. I also really like Princess Noriko’s hat.
Princess Hanako’s hat is really unusual for Japan royals