Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko What would the emperor of Japan do if he could shed his weighty crown for a day and roam freely among the common people? Emperor Akihito, an avid scientist, said he sometimes wishes he had more time to do research or "to take long walks." But, busy though his official duties may keep him, he said he does not spend much time thinking about being anything but what he is. "There is nothing that comes to mind that I would like to hide my status to do," he said Monday in a news conference ahead of a trip to the Baltic states, Britain and Sweden. Empress Michiko, meanwhile, admitted that she has sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a cloak of invisibility. She recalled that she once wanted to go to an art exhibit but had to stay at the palace because of concerns over crowd control. "It might cause problems for the police," she said. Japan's royal couple will take a 10-day trip to Sweden, Britain and the three Baltic countries. On the last leg of their trip, Akihito and Michiko will go to London to meet Queen Elizabeth II. Concerns had been raised that the 72-year-old empress might not be up to the trip. In March, she suffered bleeding from the walls of her intestines, nose bleeds and mouth ulcers. The palace said the illness was stress related. In the early 1990s, she was unable to speak for months after suffering a nervous breakdown , reportedly over unflattering tabloid stories. But Michiko said Monday she was fine. "I have never had such an illness before, but I have gotten enough rest and I am recovered," she said. (Reuters)

如果有一天日本天皇可以摘下他沉重的皇冠，成為一個普通人，他會做些什么呢？ 渴望成為一名科學家的明仁天皇說，有時候他希望自己能有更多的時間做做研究或“散散步”。 但是，忙碌的公事讓他身不由己，他說，他很少有時間想自己成為普通人后會是什么樣子。 周一，明仁天皇在出訪波羅的海幾國、英國和瑞典之前召開的新聞發布會上說：“我從未想過要隱藏自己的身份來行事。” 而美智子皇后則坦言，她有時倒會突發奇想，希望能有一頂隱形斗篷。她回憶說，一次她想去看一個藝術展，但考慮到自己若出現會影響秩序，只好作罷。 她說：“如果我出現，會增加警察的壓力。” 明仁天皇夫婦將前往瑞典、英國和波羅的海三國開始為期十天的訪問。 明仁天皇夫婦此行的最后一站將前往倫敦，會見英國女王伊麗莎白二世。 72歲的美智子皇后能否出訪一直令人擔憂。今年三月，她出現腸壁出血、鼻出血和口腔潰瘍等癥狀。日本王室稱，皇后的病主要是壓力造成的。上世紀90年代，美智子皇后由于受到一些不負責報道的困擾患上神經衰弱，之后幾個月說不了話。 但美智子皇后于周一表示自己的身體狀況已好轉。 她說：“我以前從未得過這個病，我現在休息好了，身體已經恢復了。” （英語點津姍姍編輯）