Members of the Imperial Royal Family attended a concert performed by the Imperial Household Agency Music Department inside Imperial Palace East Garden yesterday to celebrate Emperor Akihito’s 80th birthday. While Empress Michiko did not wear a hat, I thought she looked wonderful in a coral pink dress.
Crown Princess Masako wore an icy pale blue silk covered pillbox with pork pie top to match her suit. Princes Mako (The Emperor and Empress’ granddaughter, seen behind the empress above) wore a similar brimless pork pie hat in oyster silk.
From left to right below: Princess Hanako in pale aqua square crowned hat with upturned brim; Crown Princess Masako; Crown Prince Naruhito; The Emperor and Empress; Princess Mako; Princess Hisako in a white modernized bowler style hat and her daughter, Princess Ayako in a small black chapeau.
Photos from The Imperial Family of Japan
Royal Hats 
Have to agree with you there Hat Queen, am loving the dress The Empress wore, lovely colour and drape…..and the ladies wore hats, all very similar and all totally colour coordinated with the individual outfit worn.
The Emperor and Empress seem to be a very sweet couple, but that royal family do seem rather stiff and proper. They are very strict in the type clothes they wear, hats they wear, manners they display. It seems to be a very restrictive royal family. They always seem to be walking on egg shells because they are afraid of doing something improper.
The Imperial Household Agency decides what they can do, where they can go, and what they can wear. The Imperial Family is very restricted by the IHA…even the Emperor is not immune from them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Household_Agency