When the King rose to his feet to pay tribute to the strength of UK-Japanese relations at a state dinner to honour the visiting Emperor and Empress, he did so through the usual messages of shared history and warm friendship.
He also, this time, made reference to Hello Kitty, Pokémon, fly fishing and mountain climbing, joking that there is more to the countries’ shared culture than “how much we enjoy tea and talking about the weather”.
The King, speaking at a Buckingham Palace banquet, told guests of his personal history with Emperor Naruhito, including trips to the opera and fly fishing as younger men.
“I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing,” he said, before making a reference to the Japanese cartoon collecting craze Pokémon.
“The Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ’em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational,” he added.
It was one of a handful of pop culture references in the speech, in which he also wished a “very happy” 50th birthday to the cartoon cat Hello Kitty. “Even our hobbies have shared roots,” the King added, describing how English walkers helped introduce mountain climbing in Japan in the 19th century.
“This is a passion which many British and Japanese now have in common – not least, at an individual level, Your Majesty and myself.”
The King and Queen have welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako for the first state visit since His Majesty’s cancer diagnosis.
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were both invited, with the leader of the Opposition placed next to Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s principal private secretary, for dinner while the Prime Minister sat next to Dame Wendy Hall, a computer scientist.
With the Princess of Wales missing from the event as she continues her cancer treatment, the Duchess of Edinburgh was placed at the top table which had the King, Queen, Emperor and Empress at the centre and Prince of Wales on the other side.
The Queen wore the new Royal Family Order, with its miniature portrait of King Charles III at its centre – the first time it has been seen during his reign.
She wore the Burmese ruby and diamond tiara, and lent the Lotus Flower tiara to the Duchess of Edinburgh for the evening.
The Princess Royal was also absent, in hospital with concussion following an accident with a horse.
The King began and ended his speech in Japanese, saying “Welcome back to Britain” and “cheers!” in the language of his guests.
He made a passing reference to the “darkest years” of the history between the two countries, the Second World War, with the Emperor spelling it out only slightly more clearly in his own speech about “the sad period” and “times of great difficulty”.
The Emperor and Empress, Naruhito said, would like to “express our deep respect and gratitude to those people who have dedicated immeasurable efforts of friendship between our two countries”.
The first official day of the trip began at Claridge’s, where the Prince of Wales welcomed the Emperor and Empress outside their rooms with a handshake.
After being driven to Horse Guards Parade, the King, 75, and Emperor, 64, greeted one another like old friends. After an inspection the party, which included Prince William, returned to Buckingham Palace for lunch.
Privately, the King and Queen presented a pair of gold and silver beakers and a bottle of whisky to the Emperor and a handmade fan to the Empress. In return they were presented with a Wijima lacquerware box and a Saga Nishiki brocade handbag.
The King appointed the Emperor to the ancient Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in the UK.
In return, the Emperor presented the King with the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, the highest order in Japan.
In the evening, the Royal family joined 170 guests for a dinner of langoustines, turbot, “pommes Elizabeth” and bombe glace melba.