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Subject: Supplemental Travel Pool #5:; POTUS and FLOTUS depart for Asakaka Place

At 9:15 am local time, the president and first lady departed the Imperial Palace en route to Asakaka Place, where President Trump has a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and FLOTUS has a separate program of events that will be covered by a separate FLOTUS pooler.

POTUS and FLOTUS came into view just inside the glass enclosed waiting area at 9:13 am. The president was seen speaking to Empress Masako while the first lady spoke to Emperor Naruhito.

Pooler couldn’t make out any of their remarks, and audio and cell phone photos were explicitly disallowed. The president helped the first lady into the presidential limo and walked around the back to the right side to enter it himself.

They waved to the imperial family from inside the limo. The president looked at American press and waved. Pool waved back. The president waved again. First lady Melania Trump also waved at press.

“Stars and Stripes Forever” played the long motorcade out. The emperor and empress remained outside until the entire motorcade had departed. They continued to nod as it pulled out.

At the end, the emperor and empress gave a full bow to cameras on an opposing platform. They turned and nodded in the direction of the supplemental press pool, then looked at one another and giggled once it was over. It was their first Imperial Palace visit with a head of state for Emperor Naruhito, who took the throne on May 1.

While the supplemental pool was waiting for the president and first lady to leave the Imperial Palace, National Security Advisor John Bolton, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and FLOTUS spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham were seen inside a waiting area inside the building.

Roughly 10 minutes before the president exited the Imperial Palace, at 9:04 am, NSC’s Matt Pottinger, White House social media director Dan Scavino, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, senior advisor Stephen Miller, Grisham, Lighthizer, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Bolton walked out. Mulvaney and Bolton were conversing with each other.

Apologies for the length of time it took to send the supplemental pool reports, we were immediately moved to a holding facility that took several minutes to walk to. I appreciate your patience and kindness today.

Subject: Supplemental Travel Pool Report #6: color from the state call

The state call was held in an Imperial Palace room with no editorial presence. Pooler watched a video taken on the pool cam that included audio after the fact. Audio cannot be played back publicly. But here’s what I heard and saw:

The state call was held in a beige room covered in large and medium-sized tan circles.

President Trump was seen laughing and talking with Emperor Naruhito as he entered the room.

The emperor and empress speak English – they attended Oxford – and conversed with POTUS and FLOTUS earlier in English. They appeared to speak to them in Japanese through translators inside the official state call.

They made inaudible small talk for 2 minutes before the pool camera was removed. It was after the pool cam was out of the room that the gift exchange took place. Still waiting for White House confirmation on what the gifts were. That will be your last supplemental pool report until tonight’s state dinner.