In a traditional rite before her wedding Tuesday, Princess Nori paid respects Saturday morning at sanctuaries in the Imperial Palace grounds where legendary gods and the spirits of late emperors are enshrined.
The princess, wearing a 12-layered kimono called a "juni hitoe" and usually used by female members of the Imperial family as a wedding costume, visited three shrines in wooded areas.
The ceremony came in the last phase of preparations for her marriage to Tokyo Metropolitan Government employee Yoshiki Kuroda. The princess, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, met with her parents in the afternoon to deliver a formal farewell message.
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