Japan’s royal couple wrapped up their tour of Canada yesterday by paying a brief visit to one of the country's poorest neighborhoods, the Vancouver Sun reports on its Web site.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko — who will be in Hawaii tomorrow — toured the Vancouver Japanese Language School.
Trish MacDonald, who was staying at the Lookout Downtown Hazelton Residence a block away from the school, was disappointed to learn she’d slept through the visit.
“I would’ve been right in there. I’ve got a giant geisha tattoo on my back,” she told the Sun. “You’d think that this would be the last place they would go — the downtown lower eastside. Just to have someone of high stature visit the neighborhood is pretty cool.”
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson greeted the royal couple.
“These are the oldest neighborhoods that visitors settled in,” he told them. “Now, it’s a very culturally diverse and dynamic neighborhood. It’s got a rich history.”
The school was at the center of what used to be called Japan Town, populated by early Japanese settlers to Canada. Today, the school is in the heart of the Downtown Eastside.
The emperor and empress toured the school, viewing arts and crafts, shaking hands and chatting with people. A choir of school children sang a Japanese song called Deai, which means “meeting” in English.
The monarchs’ Canadian tour, which began last Monday, marks the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan.