Danish Queen Margrethe will help kick off celebrations marking next year's bicentennial of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish fairy tale writer, during an eight-day visit to Japan that began Monday.
The 64-year-old monarch, who arrived with her French-born husband, Prince Henrik, will meet Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko following a welcoming ceremony Tuesday at the state guesthouse.
Andersen, born in 1805 to a poor charwoman and a shoemaker, is famous worldwide for his fairy-tale classics including "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid." He wrote 156 widely translated fairy tales along with several novels, poems and other stories. He died in 1875.
Denmark plans to mark the 200th anniversary with hundreds of events, parties and festivals. Celebrations will culminate April 2, -- Andersen's birthday -- with a large pop and rock concert in Copenhagen.
Margrethe, who will appoint a Japanese goodwill ambassador between the two countries during her stay, is also scheduled for a visit to central Japan to see traditional handicrafts with the Emperor and Empress on Thursday, then visit the Peace Memorial Park in Okinawa on Friday, before departing Japan on Nov. 22.
Initially, the royal trip had been planned for April 2003 but was postponed after the queen had back surgery.