As of today the Heisei (平成) Period in Japan has officially ended, and the Reiwa (令和) Period has officially begun.

Personally, having seen the Heisei Emperor on TV and such, I will definitely miss him.  He really seemed like a cool guy, and really cared about people.  I saw one clip on Japanese TV where he was playing rock-paper-scissors with an elderly woman in a wheelchair some years ago and then gave her a shoulder rub.  In other clips, he plays with school children, etc.  He was a very positive symbol of Japan.

At the same time, it’s fun to be watching a new era of Japan begin.  Both my wife (who is Japanese) and I were born in the 70’s at the end of the Showa Period, so now we have lived through 3 imperial reigns.  The family and I will watch the coronation on Japanese TV, enjoy a good, home-cooked Japanese dinner.

Best wishes to Japan in this new era and a bright future!