Just over a month after she first started at Tokyo's Gakushuin Kindergarten Princess Aiko seems to be getting into the swing of things. The royal youngster arrived hand-in-hand with her mum Masako for a class picnic, kitted out rather more informally than she was on her first day of school in April.
On that occasion she wore a smart navy jacket with red piping. On Monday, however, the little princess was in a white shirt and navy pinafore, with sports shoes and a plastic container hanging over her shoulder.
Mother and daughter seemed in good spirits for the day out at Shinjuku Gyoen Park. A smiling Masako gave her customary shy wave for waiting photographers, a gesture that was copied by four-year-old Aiko.
One of 50 pupils who started this spring, the little girl is following a family tradition by enrolling at the kindergarten. Aiko's aunt Sayako attended the prestigious Gakushuin schools, whose alumni include Yoko Ono. Meanwhile the princess' cousins Mako, 14, and 11-year-old Kako also study at the institution.