Note to poem 1 :
In August His Majesty the Emperor climbed Mt. Sekison with Prince Akishino and his family for the first time in about thirty years. His Majesty used to climb this mountain with his family quite often when He was Crown Prince. In this poem His Majesty describes how He saw the alpine plant, hakusan furo or cranesbill, Geranium yesoense var. nipponicum, blooming on the summit just as it did back then.
Note to poem 2 :
In September when Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress attended the National Sports Festival held in Chiba prefecture, They visited the rice terraces of Oyama Senmaida. In this poem His Majesty describes how He saw the green leaves of the rice plant growing on the rice terraces after the harvest and red spider lilies, Lycoris radiata, blooming on the banks of the slope.
Note to poem 3 :
When Prince Hisahito visited Their Majesties together with Princess Akishino, he came from the Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household, where he was catching insects, through the gardens of the Imperial Residence. In this poem His Majesty describes how, when Their Majesties came out of Their Residence into the garden, Prince Hisahito saw Her Majesty and called out to Her.
Note to poem 4 :
In October Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress visited Nara prefecture to attend the Commemorative Ceremony of the 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heiji-kyo Capital. In this poem His Majesty depicts his visit to the Daigoku-den, the former Imperial Audience Hall, whose reconstruction was based on many years of excavation work and painstaking studies.
Note to poem 5 :
In October torrential rains struck Amami-Oshima island in Kagoshima prefecture, causing huge damage, including loss of lives. In this poem His Majesty describes how He was concerned for the victims as He watched the television news showing the extent of the disaster.
Note to poem 1 :
This year, 2010, was the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Meiji Shrine, and this is a poem Her Majesty dedicated to the Shrine in response to a request from the Shrine. Her Majesty had in mind a poem by Emperor Meiji: "Each and every window/ Of the Palace standing tall/ I had them opened/ To view all around me/ Cherry blossoms in full bloom."
Note to poem 2 :
FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa from June to July, 2010. In this poem Her Majesty extols the delight of the world of sport where the game ends each time the final whistle is blown.
Note to poem 3 :
The asteroid probe Hayabusa succeeded in collecting a sample of material on the asteroid Itokawa and returned to earth on June 13, 2010. In this poem Her Majesty describes how, after completing its long journey in space, Hayabusa broke up and incinerated in a large fireball as it reentered the earth's atmosphere.