Princess Mako on Oct. 12 visited the graves of her great grandparents, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako, to inform them of her upcoming marriage to her college sweetheart later this month.

One morning last week at 9:50 a.m. exactly Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Nagako was clocked into the temporary structure erected for such occasions, the Imperial Maternity Villa. Tick-tick-tick ...