Princess Mako during the 2015 New Year's greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Mako Komuro, Japan's former princess, has landed a job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, six months after arriving to New York City. When she married her commoner college sweetheart Kei Komuro in October 2021, the 30-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito took away her royal position and moved to the United States soon after. With this innovative job choice, Mako appears to have found her footing in the metropolis. Mako has always had a passion for art history and curating. She graduated from Tokyo's International Christian University with a bachelor's degree in art and cultural heritage and the University of Leicester with a master's degree in Art Museum and Gallery Studies. In addition to her royal duties, she worked as a researcher at the University Museum at the University of Tokyo. So, while she is now volunteering at The Met for free, it is a promising start to her non-royal life.
She was not allowed to marry a commoner because she was a princess of the Japanese Imperial dynasty. Mako also turned down a one-time gift of $1.35 million that is normally granted to departing royals when the young couple was ready to leave. Despite their tough start, both couples look to be thriving in their new environment. Mako is credited with contributing to the Met's Asian art collection's current show of scroll paintings. In the meantime, her spouse works at a local legal firm while studying for the bar exam.
Jean Dubreil