As per your request, here is a review of some of the new hats we saw this year worn by members of the Imperial Royal Family. The Japanese royals are one of the most prolific hat wearing royal houses- there are too many hats here for a poll so I have numbered each one and invite you to name which hats are your favourites in the comments. Click on each photo to jump back to the original post with additional information, views and detail on each hat.
While I don’t think any of these hats are in the running for best overall new royal hat of the year, there are some beautiful millinery details not to be missed (the lace trim and lattice outer brim of #5 is exquisite while the braided trim on #27 is so smart). The wonderfully saturated colour makes #12 and #18 stand out as my favourites- Which hats or details on hats here stand out most to you?
Empress Michiko
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Crown Princess Masako
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Princess Kiko of Akishino
20.
21.
22.
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24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Princess Mako of Akishino
29.
30.
31.
Princess Kako of Akishino
32.
33.
34.
35.
36. 
37.
Royal Hats 
1st-hat 18
2nd-hat 15
3rd-hat 14
4th-hat 5
5th-hat 27
15
#18
#15
#19
#14
thank you very much!!!
Thank you very much HatQueen for letting us have a vote on Best Royal Hat of the Year again, with Japan this time round! I vote for No: 18 for the win! Next best is No:15, then 17, then 27, then 5, then 12. The rest of the hats are quite nice, but there are not other standouts. My least favourite hat is 26, it is just too big for her!
HQ I want to wish you and your family and all your readership a happy and prosperous New Year. I hadn’t realised just how many new hats the Japanese Imperials ladies had worn in 2015. My favourites are (in descending order):
1. # 18
2. # 27
3. # 17
4. # 12
5. # 15
6. # 5
7. # 37
Happy New Year to HatQueen and all the Royal Hats fandom! Thanks so much to our fearless leader for the massive job of researching all those hats. Thanks for giving us the vote for New Royal Hats Of 2015: Japan Part 1.
My favorite hat of this group was the hat of Crown Princess Masako, photo 18. I liked all her hats this year. Runner-up would be the gold hat of Crown Princess Masako, photo 17.
Empress Michiko’s saucer shaped hats usually bore me. I like the grey lace trimmed hat best, at photo 5. Runner-up would be the the teal hat which matched her suit, photo 12.
Princess Kiko of Akishino’s braided trimmed hat, photo 27, is my favorite of hers this year, and I think deserves to be called one of the best hats of the year, for its interesting shape and texture. Runner-up in her category is the lovely green hat, photo 22.
Princess Kako of Akishino’s best hat, with its unusual shape and great color, is the one at photo 37. Runner-up in her category is the stunning, simple, white hat, photo 34.
Princess Mako of Akishino’s only hat that I really liked, and that I would wear myself, is her curved bumper, photo 31. Runner-up in her category is the brown hat, which was rather drab on its own, but brightened by its combination with the peach suit that I liked so much, photo 30.
I hope that New Royal Hats Of 2015: Japan Part 2, will include one of my favorites of the year, Princess Nobuko of Mikasa’s navy Breton hat, photo at this link:
https://royalhats.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/imperial-royals-host-annual-autumn-garden-party/
Princess Hisako of Takamado’s purple brimless moulded hat also deserves a mention I think, photo at this link:
https://royalhats.wordpress.com/tag/princess-hisako/
#7, 12, 19
#3 and #12 stand out in the Empress’s collection since they have more color contrast than the others, but they’re all so beautifully styled. Although they all start with one basic design (albeit in two sizes), the different trims make them stand out, particularly when viewed as a collection.
Crown Princess Mask’s #15 in pink is beautiful, and I like her #18 as well.
I don’t understand hat #26. It looks as though Princess Kiko of Akishino can not see out from under the brim since the hat is so low on her head.
The Best New Royal Hat of 2015 and Best New Imperial Hat 0f 2015 contests was a great idea HatQueen and thank you very much for delivering this. I consider the top Imperial 10 hats should be:
Crown Princess Masako’s hat pictured at 18, the winner, for being a beautiful purple, and going so well with her suit style!
Crown Princess Masako’s hat pictured at 17
Princess Kiko of Akishino’s hat pictured at 27
Crown Princess Masako’s hat pictured at 19
Empress Michiko’s hat pictured at 5
Crown Princess Masako’s hat pictured at 15
Crown Princess Masako’s hat pictured at 16
Princess Kako of Akishino’s hat pictured at 37
Empress Michiko’s hat pictured at 14
Empress Michiko’s hat pictured at 3.
10, 12, 13, 18, 19, 37.
17,24,31,37
15 should have been in the list too…15 and 37 favourite
CP Masako: 18, 19. P Kiko: 24, 25