SIDNEY, B.C. - On one level, Emperor Akihito's visit to Canada was a nostalgia trip, rekindling fond, deeply embedded memories of his 1953 tour as the then-heir to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne.

On another, it was a chance to show his wife, Empress Michiko, the country that gave him a surprisingly warm welcome as he travelled to Queen Elizabeth's coronation just eight years after the Second World War.

But it was also an opportunity to showcase Canada's diversity, via the Japanese media, to a home audience, Ambassador Sadaaki Numata, the Emperor's press secretary, said Monday.

"The message that is coming out I think in Japan is that perhaps people in Japan are going to view Canada somewhat differently, instead of being bound in stereotype of seeing Canada, forgive me, as an extension of the United States," he said.

The Japanese royal couple wrap up their 12-day visit to Canada on Tuesday with an official reception, then fly for a two-day visit to Hawaii, where they'll mark the 50th anniversary of a student-exchange program.

They spent Monday touring the University of British Columbia and visiting Nikkei Place, a seniors' home that houses Japanese and non-Japanese residents.

The couple's reception in Canada has been uniformly warm and Numata said the Emperor was keen to give the Empress a taste of the country that was his first overseas visit as Crown Prince.

Britain had invited Emperor Hirohito to attend the Queen's 1953 coronation but Numata said it was decided to send the heir instead because there were still bitter feelings about his father's role during the war.

Hirohito had been retained as a constitutional monarch to create a unifying force in Japan but over objections by some who thought he should be tried as a war criminal.

As Crown Prince, Akihito was understandably nervous about setting foot in countries that were Japan's mortal enemies up to 1945, Numata said.

He sailed to San Francisco and was flown immediately to Victoria by an RCAF plane to start a cross-country rail tour that lasted 11 days.

Numata noted the Emperor met the pilot of that plane, Dave Adamson, now retired in Victoria, and then-air force corporal Grace Honkawa, who acted as his aide de camp, during his 1953 tour.

The cordial reception he received, including being photographed on horseback wearing a cowboy hat in Calgary, touched him deeply, Numata said.

"That's why he has retained these very favourable memories of this trip," he said.

Last week's stop in Ottawa included a Canadian film of his 1953 visit. Numata said the Emperor could be heard over the soundtrack translating the English narration for his wife.

The royal couple has visited 55 countries together since they married in 1959, said Numata.

"There are countries which are dear to his heart and Canada is one," he said. "That's why he's always wanted to come to Canada. "

"And in a way he's come back to where he's started 56 years ago. I think that gives him a lot of reason for reflection, the result of which I haven't heard yet."

This trip has featured stops that showcased the integration of Japanese-Canadians into society and the country's diversity -- including its Haitian-born governor general, whose predecessor Adrienne Clarkson, was a wartime refugee from Hong Kong.

The trip has not been without minor controversy. An organization that wants the Emperor to do more for victims of Japan's actions during the war published an open letter on the eve of the visit.

In a July 6 speech in Ottawa, the Emperor expressed regret the war had disrupted developing relations between Japan and Canada, and sadness at the suffering the conflict created.

But the Emperor plays a carefully circumscribed constitutional role, Numata pointed out, and he could go no further.

"The specific points raised in the letter are things that have to be dealt with by the government," said Numata, adding the Emperor was aware of the letter.

"But the important point is the Emperor does feel strongly about war, about this whole question of peace. He does not want the mistake of war to be repeated, hence this statement in his dinner speech."