At Fredensborg Palace — The day I met Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress

An hour's drive north from Copenhagen, Fredensborg Palace, nestled in a lush forest, is known as the summer residence of the Danish royal family. Having studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture and later running my own design firm in the country, Fredensborg was a familiar building to me, having visited it several times for work and sightseeing.

But on that day in June 1998, I stepped through the palace doors with a completely different feeling than usual. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress were visiting Denmark, and on their final day, I was given the opportunity to meet them as a representative of the Japanese community living there. I remember checking the date and my name many times when I received the invitation.

Days of Preparation

From the moment I received the invitation, even amidst my daily design work, I couldn't stop thinking about that day. The path from studying architecture in Denmark to establishing my own office was by no means easy. I spent years drawing blueprints in a foreign language, building trust with local clients, and sometimes wavering between "being Japanese" and "working in Denmark." I arrived on this day with the hope of conveying even a little bit of my journey to Their Majesties in this distant foreign land. In a room in the palace, the audience room exuded quiet dignity with its gold leaf decorations and large paintings adorning the walls. The assembled people were representatives of Japanese people living and working in Denmark. Everyone was dressed formally and waited for the start with tense expressions. As Their Majesties entered, I felt the atmosphere in the room suddenly change. Her Majesty the Empress, dressed in a light yellow-green, approached each person individually, together with His Majesty the Emperor, and spoke to them politely. As my turn approached, I could feel my heart beating faster. When I bowed deeply and offered my greetings, Their Majesties looked at me with gentle eyes and kindly asked me about my life and work in Denmark. When I told them that I was continuing my architectural work in a foreign country, Their Majesties offered me warm words of appreciation for my efforts. I was so nervous that even now, when I try to recall the details of that moment, only fragments come back to me, but I still clearly remember the calm and sincere gaze of Their Majesties that I felt at that time. There were also photographers from the press in the venue. Amidst the flashing lights, Their Majesties maintained their unchanging, gentle smiles throughout, and their calm demeanor seemed to instantly dissipate our own tension.

An Unchanging Gaze Received in a Distant Land

Many years have passed since I began living in Denmark, but I don't think there has ever been another moment when I was so strongly aware of my roots as a Japanese person. To exchange words with members of my homeland's royal family in a quiet room of a Nordic palace—it was an unexpected turning point for me, who had continued to work across the seas.

The warm words and gazes I received that day still quietly remain within me. When I feel lost in my work abroad, I sometimes recall that time at Fredensborg. It was an experience that felt like a gentle push was given to me as I continued to draw blueprints in a distant land.

The official records of the Imperial Household Agency can be found here
https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/activity/gonittei/01/gaikoku/h10denmark/eev-h10-uk-denmark.html