Feature: Duke of Cambridge dons samurai garb before playing with kids in disaster-hit Fukushima

Britain's Prince William on his third day and penultimate day in Japan to promote cultural and business ties, was whisked away by bullet train to Fukushima Prefecture Saturday, where he spent time playing with local children affected by the devastating earthquake and nuclear disaster in 2011 and in doing so, passing on a message of hope and revival.

Prince William, accompanied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited the Smile Kids Park in Motomiya, the smallest town in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Fukushima.

At the park and adventure playground, Prince William talked with staff from the Smile Kids charity about their endeavors to make the air and water safe in Fukushima Prefecture, particularly in the interest of young children who have been orphaned in the area, following the colossal earthquake that triggered multiple nuclear meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power's Daiichi nuclear facility in March 2011.

But as the nuclear crisis rumbled on at the neighboring stricken facility and even as revelations came to light earlier this week that nuclear plant operator TEPCO had concealed an ongoing radioactive leak from the public for almost a year, the Duke of Cambridge chatted happily with the children and two lucky youngsters got to help the prince plant a new tree in the park, to symbolize hope and prosperity for the region that has suffered immeasurably since the triple disasters in 2011.

The charismatic prince, who admitted that as a youngster he " dreamed of being astronaut," dazzled the kids and the prime minister in a ball pit at the park, before the toddlers thought it would be more fun to pick up handfuls of the plastic balls and bombard the visiting dignitary in the face with them.

The amiable prince smiled joyfully and endured a good pelting from the beaming kids.

"If you didn't know he was second in line to becoming the King of England, you would just think he's just a regular, affable person. He is genuinely such a nice, benevolent human being," said Sara Tomikawa, who came out to see the prince at an event earlier in the day in Tokyo's upscale Daikanyama district.

"Perhaps it's because he's a father himself now, or maybe it's down to his dear mother Diana's lasting inspiration, as her charity and humanitarian work was so focused on children, but Prince William is really good with kids and I think his trip to Fukushima, in a small way, really cheered them and the region up," Tomikawa, an architect and diehard fan of the British Royal Family told Xinhua.

Along with Abe, the Prince was scheduled to sample some local food after visiting a school, but some locals seemed a tad disgruntled with the prime minister for not allowing the prince to see the "true realities" of the ongoing horror in Fukushima.

More than 140,000 people still remained displaced four years after the 2011 disasters, and Tokuo Hayakawa, a Buddhist priest from the town of Naraha, two miles from the Fukushima plant, was quoted as telling a British publication, "I think Abe is using him. It's true that you can find children playing outside, and you can eat some Fukushima food.

"But to take that as the overall reality here is totally wrong. If I could, I would take him to these abandoned ghost towns, and to the temporary houses where people still live, so he could see the reality that we are facing," Hayakawa said.

But needless to say, the prince has had a very demanding schedule since he arrived in Japan on Thursday, and following a reception at the British Embassy last night with British Ambassador to Japan, Tim Hitchens, accompanied by music from legendary British radio celebrity and DJ Guy Perryman, Prince William visited Japan's public broadcaster NHK in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward earlier Saturday and took a tour of the studios.

The prince politely refused to don a chonmage wig -- the type of hairstyle typically associated with the Edo era here and Samurai culture, stating that, "My brother (Prince) Harry would never let me get away with that." Prince William and his younger sibling, who announced Friday he will leave the Armed Forces after 10 years of service and two tours in Afghanistan to pursue a career in charity work involved with helping injured service people, have always enjoyed a healthy amount of brotherly "banter. "

Pulling rank, it was the British Ambassador, then, who had to don the wig, with his slightly ridiculous-looking photo going semi- viral on Twitter.

But the prince didn't get away scot-free, as he was finally convinced to dress in a costume worn by samurai warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who features on the popular historical NHK drama Taiga. The gaudy costume comprised a garish red and gold tunic, with the finish touch being a gleaming helmet plonked on the Duke's head.

Asked how he felt, the prince replied, "I feel ready for action, " and joked regally, "I feel there should be a sword in my hand."

Before playing dress up, the prince enjoyed a traditional dance show from three actresses in the show, accompanied by music from a shamisen.

The female lead of the show, Mao Inoue, presented Prince William with a bouquet of flowers and a hand-made wooden toy, for the prince's son.

At his next engagement at the famed British-built Tsutaya bookstore in Daikanyama, the three-storied sprawling "Forest of Books" being the only of its kind in Japan, Prince William was greeted by throngs of fans as evidence mounts that "William Fever" is definitely catching on, with many of them waving Union Jack flags, and one fan even dressing her pug puppy in an adorable Union Jack doggy sweater, much to the prince's delight.

The bookstore over the next few days is holding a British fair called "Great British Days" and is showcasing art, crafts and innovative products from the United Kingdom, including a collection of official Buckingham Palace accessories, traditional British sweets and condiments, as well as host of British-based books.

As well as showcasing some stunning Aston Martin cars, the building itself had half of its facade redone to coolly incorporate and display the Union Jack in its structure.

"It would be wonderful if the Duchess of Cambridge and their two children (the Duchess is currently expecting her second child hence her absence from the royal Far East Tour), could accompany the Duke the next time they visit Japan, that would be the perfect Royal Family visit," remarked Tomikawa.

"But as a solo-visit, with an expectant wife at home and having just heard from Kensington Palace that after 14 exams, he will now be working as an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot, I think he's done a remarkable job here as a British ambassador and we ( Japanese) have been delighted to host him."

"As well as being an exemplary prince and ambassador for Britain, seeing him with the children in Fukushima shows us that, like his mother, he's just a very, very, decent human being," said Tomikawa, adding that she has been following the British Royal Family since Princess Diana married Prince Charles, hence her encyclopedic knowledge of the family.

"He may not be an astronaut yet, but flying helicopters is a step in the right direction," she quipped.

The prince's four-day trip will conclude on Sunday, when he is scheduled to travel to China. Endi