Prince William Takes Tea As Japan Tour Begins

Prince William has arrived in Japan for a four-day visit to the country.

His first stop was Tokyo, where he was being given a guided boat tour of some of the landmarks including the 2020 Olympic site and the Rainbow Bridge.

He stopped off at the historic Hama Rikyu gardens, where he was served Japanese green tea in the traditional, ceremonial way by a Grand Master, considered a sign of respect.

The Prince was watched by the media drinking the "thin tea" or usucha from an antique Korean bowl, at one point joking to his host: "I don't want to drop it."

The evening will be spent privately at the British Ambassador's official residence.

Shortly after the Duke of Cambridge touched down in Tokyo to begin his first tour of Japan and China, Kensington Palace announced that he had passed his air transport pilot’s licence exams.

It is a reminder of how the second in line to the throne intends to balance a "day-job" with his royal duties.

William has been revising since September for his exams - a rigorous process with 14 different tests, which are a prerequisite for training to become an air ambulance pilot.

Before he starts flying patients for the East Anglian air ambulance service he will need to do further mandatory training specific to their aircraft, but that should be completed by early summer.

Prince William will aim to work as close to full time as possible, covering shifts for the team based in Cambridge and Norwich. His salary will be donated to charity.

But WIlliam's focus over the next six days is to highlight British links with Japan and China and address issues such innovation, trade and creativity.

The pitching for Britain had started in Tokyo before he arrived with UK designers showing of their latest inventions at the British embassy. Sue Kinoshita, Director of UK Trade and Investment in Japan told Sky News it is a longstanding relationship from which both countries benefit.

She said: "Something like 1,300 Japanese companies have got either manufacturing, research and development or other facilities in the UK employing about 150,000 people, so that's really significant for the UK economy and it's great to have someone here from the Royal family giving that profile as well."