Princess Aiko's School Trip to the Zoo

Crown Princess Masako made a rare appearance on Friday when she dropped off her daughter Princess Aiko at Tokyo's Tama Zoological Park to meet with her kindergarten class at the gate. The five-year old princess observed lions from a bus, as well as, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and ostriches at the African Garden exhibit. The zoo is spread over 129 acres of land and features the animals in their naturalistic habitats.

Photo: Associated Press/Katsumi Kasahara