InsideJapan News Network

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan have arrived in Hawaii on the final part of their journey around North America.

For the past two weeks, the pair have been travelling round Canada.

The couple are visiting Hawaii to mark the 50th anniversary of the Crown Prince Akhito scholarship which sees graduates from the University of Hawaii given the chance to visit Japan.

The initiative first began to celebrate the royal couple's wedding back in 1959.

Yoshiko Tsukagoshi, one of the many who lined the streets to greet the pair, told the AFP that this was the first time she had seen the royal couple in person.

She said that it was "a kind of dream".

Also speaking to the news source, Harriet Lum, who is a third-generation Japanese American, commented on how special it was for the people to see the Emperor and Empress.

"There's so many Japanese people that live here. We have a lot of culture, a lot of tradition. For us it's really, really special. We can relate to him," she stated.

Written by Mark Smith.