October 26, 2021. Princess Mako leaves the Akasaka Estate residence in the Tokyo Imperial Palace complex that she had occupied with her family since childhood. She says goodbye to her parents, without tears, without effusion. However, Mako will not see them again for a long time. Maybe never. Only her younger sister, Kako, hugs her for a second. Nothing more.
Mako chose to go into exile in the United States. But was he really given the choice? A few minutes before leaving her native Japan, she married Kei Komuro, the man she met ten years earlier at university. A crazy love but a marriage that we thought impossible, postponed several times since the announcement of the engagement in 2017. First problem: Kei Komuro is a commoner, the worst defect according to the very rigid imperial agency, which organizes the daily life of the emperor and his people. Second problem: Kei Komuro’s mother was suspected of having defrauded her ex-partner and the story made the Japanese tabloids. Not exactly in the best taste.
She gave up an annuity of 152 million yen
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Granddaughter of the former Emperor Akihito, daughter of Prince Fumihito – heir apparent to the crown – and niece of the current Emperor Naruhito, Mako will never be called to ascend the very archaic Throne of Chrysanthemum. However, by marrying the man she loves, she had to abandon her previous life: her nation, her loved ones, her title of princess and even her tiaras…
She even renounced the pension of more than a million euros that the government was legally supposed to pay her to maintain her standard of living, so as not to anger the Japanese, of whom she had long been the beloved princess, but who revolted against his union.
An apartment in the heart of New York
Madame Mako Komuro, her new marital status, has therefore made a new start in the United States. Could she have been inspired by Prince Harry? She moved into the heart of Manhattan, in the bustling “Hell’s Kitchen” neighborhood. Its building – “the pinnacle of luxury”, according to the “New York Post” – has, among other things, a spa, a gym and a library. And his apartment, furnished and modern, with a panoramic view of the Hudson.
According to the latest information, Mako and Kei Komuro would like to move – to a larger apartment – but this has not been confirmed… Because even far from Japan, the private life of the former highness remains very protected by the services of the consulate Japanese in New York. So as not to be too disoriented, the former highness was given, upon her arrival, a list of supermarkets and restaurants recommended by Japanese residents in the Big Apple. A Japanese hairdresser, established in New York for fifty years, was also recommended to him.
Assistant at the MET
To avoid boredom, Mako, a graduate of the University of Leicester (England) in museology, found voluntary work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she assists curators in the design of exhibitions on Asian painting. Her husband was first hired in a law firm as a legal assistant, before passing the New York bar exam on his third attempt. He is now a licensed attorney. A typical daily life of New York high society is now offered to Mr. and Mrs. Komuro, who have not set foot in Japan since their departure. As if, after all, they weren’t homesick.
2023-10-26 14:40:30
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