VANCOUVER -
It was an encounter Rumi Koike likely would never have at home.
The young Japanese student studying in Vancouver was on the rope line Tuesday when she found herself face-to-face with the Empress of Japan.
"Michiko-san," she called, her voice trembling. "Arigato kosai masu (thank you very much)."
Empress Michiko, following her husband Emperor Akihito down the line of excited spectators on Vancouver's downtown waterfront, responded. "Good luck," she said in Japanese to the breathless young woman.
Rumi's friend, Osaka native Naoko Kojima, was equally stunned to make eye contact with the Japanese royal couple.
"Oh, so close," she said. "I am excited."
Many visiting Japanese were able to see the Emperor and Empress during their 12-day tour of Canada.
While officials say the couple makes an average 200 public appearances a year at home, they are rarely this accessible, within touching distance.
The Emperor and Empress were headed into a farewell reception at Vancouver's new convention centre before boarding a plane to Hawaii for a two-day official stopover.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walked a rope-line of hundreds of delighted spectators on their way to the official event at Vancouver's new waterfront convention centre.
After the reception, the Japanese royal couple was to board a plane to Hawaii for a two-day stopover before returning home.
As Crown Prince, Akihito first visited Canada in 1953, and at Tuesday morning's reception he was introduced to several people he met during his first visit to Vancouver.
The Emperor and Empress also met International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, who saw them off at Vancouver's airport, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and former trade minister David Emerson.
