PRINCESS MASAKO: PRISONER OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM THRONE FREE DOWNLOAD Ben Hills | 306 pages | 22 Dec 2008 | Penguin Putnam Inc | 9781585426102 | English | Los Angeles, United States Princess Masako : Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne [Paperback] I lived in Japan during the years she was refusing him, and I remember both the anxiety over his refusal to marry anyone else and the euphoria when his younger brother married a pretty young woman, though that marriage increased the pressure on the heir to marry. The revelation that 74 out of young Japanese women interviewed said they would never entertain the notion of marrying Naruhito or another royal flies in the face of so many Western girls who want to grow up to be a pr And you thought Princess Diana had it bad. I skim read most of this book after the first pages. I think the translation wrong. Her Imperial Highness attends its annual national conventions and has visited various regions to encourage the activities of community volunteers of Aiiku-Han groups, which promote community networking in such areas as parenting support, and support for the elderly living alone. Sep 02, Eilagh added it. It's a quick read. Ben Hills was born in the UK and migrated with his family to Australia in Probably not an in-depth study of how the Imperial Household Agency works but still a rather intriguing Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne scary account of its role in mismanaging the peculiar Masako case. Even seeing Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne parents is an ordeal. To begin, I must admit that I have spent a great deal of my time soaking up Japanese culture which has little to do with my heritage. Too bad it was Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne trampled to death by what I hope was a well-meaning writer who got a little too big for his britches. The following year, she made her first official visit overseas in six Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. I thought Ben Hills did quite a good job, in these circumstances. In fact, at times, it almost feels as though the book is just as much about them as the Princess herself. Author Ben Hills, describes its position in Japan and how it compares and contrasts Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne the remaining reigning monarchies in the world. I do not recall reading one single positive thing. Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne think that there are probably more interesting and better written books on the topic. While the author wrote: "Masako was stripped of all of her freedom and now lives like a bird trapped yes trapped! Oct 12, Bronwyn C Rideout rated it liked it. The author speaks a lot about the Crown Prince as well. This is not the duty of a princess only, it is her duty as a grand daughter in law. No trivia or quizzes yet. It's hard to not feel bad for her when you think about her former lifestyle and the kind of life she leads now, especially with her breakdowns. Read this book just to see what kind of life not to choose. Out of her great 'sense of duty' she chose to give up a rising diplomatic career very unusual in Japan to marry Crown Prince Naruhito, heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Much of the information in this book was acquired second hand and at times has a somewhat loose tabloid feel to it. Even though Japan has advanced well socially and technologically, women are still set back in many parts. Real princesses do Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne have fairy tale lives. The book held my interest because it opened my eyes to a subject I had absolutely no knowledge about. She is fluent in 6 languages, lived abroad for almost half her life and studied in prestigious schools like Harvard and Oxford. In addition, the Japanese monarchy was often, unfairly, compared to the British monarchy as if the British system was better when in fact, they're two different monarchies and cultures, neither of which is better than the other. I hope the author does a followup of how she is doing. The opinion that her illness came from the suffocating Imperial environment was shared by none other than her husband. They don't live lives anything like the ones lived by European royals nor does the media have access to them as they do in Europe. But I would recommend that you only report what you know rather Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne speculate. Fascinating subject matter but rather boring in its execution. Imperial Household Agency. A Prince isn't penalized for marrying an commoner, but a Princess loses her rank and status if she does like Haruhito's sister As interesting as this book might be for some people, there's not really much that's new in this book. The court denied the diagnosis and said its only about adjustment disorder. Welcome back. But for the vast majority of English language readers who are interested in Japan there will be lot that is new. He also can be, quite obviously, an excellent writer. Sort order. Her Imperial Highness continues her studies in between her official activities. Fascinating story. Then suddenly her life changed dramatically since married Crown Prince Naruhito, the pressure coming from Japanese Imperial Palace staff, Princess Masako forced to adjust to a very ancient system. An estimatedpeople came out to watch their wedding parade and TV viewing peaked at nearly 80 percent. Out of all the books I Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne read, there have been few that have been so boring I couldn't even manage to finish them. She speaks multiple languages fluently, has lived all around the world, was educated at Harvard, Oxford, and Tokyo Universities, and had an extremely prestigious career before she gave it all up and married Naruhito, the crown prince of Japan. This is a book that I've looked at countless times at airport bookstores, but have never actually bought. One thing I still do not understand though is how Naruhito managed to impose Masako as his wife, but he still cannot force drastic change into their lives. Until then, if this edition is the only Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne available to you, rip out the first pages and start reading from there. The reader just wants to know the issues so they can decide for themselves. The Japanese imperial system took in an intelligent, well-educated, ambitious woman and then crushed her. However, as other candidates fell by the wayside, the Imperial Household Agency set up more meetings between the pair. Returning to Melbourne, Hills became assistant editor of the Age. I was dismayed to see how Masako, who was beautiful, talented, intelligent, accomplished, a champion soft ball player and avid skier, was stripped of all of her freedom and now lives like a bird trapped yes trapped! Perhaps the closest comparison to Masako's situation would be Princess Diana, but as Hills points out, this is not even close. Is it possible for the Crown Princess to divorce her husband and leave the Imperial family? The part about the possible constitutional amendment to allow Princes Aiko to ascend the throne would have been really interesting except by this point, I got too tired and just skimmed it. Once, when asked about her main interest, she wrote about finding a bug on a leaf and taking care of it for a year..