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First lady Jill Biden returned to the Akasaka Palace Friday morning to spend time with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's wife Mariko. 

Mariko Suga had prepared an incense workshop for Dr. Biden, where the first lady would smell difference fragrances and put together a small scented satchel.     

With COVID on the rise in Tokyo, both women wore masks - but appeared sans shoes, as is culturally appropriate. They sat down at two desks with plexiglass shield attached to protect the lecturer, who spoke in Japanese and wore a light yellow kimono. 

First lady Jill Biden arrives at an incense workshop Friday morning in Tokyo with the Japanese Prime Minister's wife Mariko Suga 

Mariko Suga (left) and Dr. Jill Biden and her interpreter (right) take part in an incense workshop Friday morning at Akasaka Palace

Biden was guided through the fragrances - sandalwood, then cinnamon - briefly taking off her mask to take a big whiff. 

'Oh that's strong, that wakes you up, right?' Biden said when smelling Palo Santo, a South American scent named for 'tree of God,' after the resin-rich heartwood used in incense in churches, which was described as slightly sweet. 

Biden wore a grey trench-length blazer adorned with a pearl pin, that was a gift from Mrs. Suga when her husband visited the White House solo in April.   

Later Friday, Biden will meet virtually with Team USA's athletes before heading to the Imperial Palace to an event with Emperor Naruhito. 

She will attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo summer Olympics Friday night.  

The first lady arrived in Japan Thursday afternooon ahead of Friday's opening ceremony for the 2021 summer Olympic Games, which have already been plagued by a spike in COVID cases.

She wore see-through nylon slippers for dinner at Akasaka Palace with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife, Mariko Suga.  

The trio posed for a photo-op with reporters, with Biden wearing a $2,832 silk floral Tom Ford dress with a modest mid-length hem, a feminine pussy-bow collar, and a waist-cinching belt for the occasion. 

Like the Prime Minister and his wife, Biden took off her shoes inside, as is custom, and was seen wearing only a pair of skin-tone nylon no-show socks. She also covered up with a simple black face mask.

The Japanese people and their guests have a tradition of taking off shoes for home meals to show respect and promote cleanliness. They also sit on tatami mats instead of chairs while eating.

On Friday, Biden is set to hold a virtual briefing with members of Team USA before meeting with Emperor Naruhito of Japan at the Imperial Palace. 

The trip to Tokyo marks the first lady's first solo trip abroad since her husband came into office in January.

Biden arrived amid continued concerns about holding the Games over the surge in COVID, with Tokyo virus cases hitting a six-month high on Wednesday.  

The first lady embraced COVID precautions upon meeting Prime Minister Suga, but also as she arrived at Yokota Air Force Base earlier today.

Disembarking the plane, she waved at reporters in a custom red Narciso Rodriguez dress that she had previously worn on a visit to Central Florida in June, as well as a white floral mask that she had first worn on inauguration night. 

She was tested - along with staff, press and Secret Service - for COVID-19 on board Executive One Foxtrot between Anchorage, her first stop, and Japan.      

She and only one other American, U.S. Embassy Tokyo official Raymond Greene, are the only two members of the official presidential delegation for the Games. 

First lady Jill Biden (left), sporting slippers, posed for photographs alongside Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (center), who's in socks, and his wife Mariko Suga (right) who's barefoot, as is custom. Biden is dining Thursday night with the Sugas at Akasaka Palace ahead of the Olympic Games

First lady Jill Biden arrived in Tokyo, Japan Thursday afternoon to attend the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics

With COVID cases rising, the first lady appeared wearing a mask despite being vaccinated against the virus 

First lady Jill Biden greets people at Yokota Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan 

First lady Jill Biden waves to reporters as she arrives in Tokyo, Japan ahead of Friday's opening ceremony 

First lady Jill Biden is captured getting off of Executive One Foxtrot Thursday afternoon 

First lady Jill Biden speaks at the Alaska Native Health Center on Wednesday in Anchorage, Alaska, a stopover she made en route to Tokyo, Japan for the Olympic Games 

At her stop in Anchorage, Alaska on July 21, Biden appeared at the Alaska Native Health Tribal Health Consortium and addressed in yet another outfit - this time a below-the-knee black and white number, with stripes around teh skirt and a dainty bow at her waist.

She coordinated the look with simple black pumps, and alternated between both a black and a white jacket. For jewelry, she picked pearl earrings and a matching pearl brooch, which she swapped for other pieces from her jewelry box when she later arrived in Japan.

Biden said she was excited to get to Japan, telling reporters as she departed the Alaska stop: 'Yes aren't you? I'll see you there.'

Mariko Suga and Biden will also spend time together Friday morning at the Akasaka Palace, as they didn't have the opportunity in April when the Japanese prime minister came to the White House because the Japanese first lady didn't make the trip. 

To diminish any COVID risk, the first lady will then meet virtually with members of Team USA. On Monday, two Team USA athletes, alternate gymnast Kara Eaker and basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson, had already tested positive for COVID-19. 

Biden will then meet Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. 

In the evening, the first lady will attend the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony.  

On Saturday, Biden will spend time at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo. 

She plans to dedicate a room at the Chief of Mission Residence to Irene Hirano Inouye and Sen. Daniel Inouye. 

Irene Hirano Inouye died in 2020. She founded the U.S.-Japan Council and was the group's first president. She also served as the first executive director of the The Japanese American National Museum in her native Los Angeles. 

She was married to Daniel Inouye, who passed away in 2012 and served as a senator to Hawaii for nearly 50 years. 

After the dedication, the first lady will watch the U.S. versus Mexico softball game with foreign service members and their families. 

Biden will then head to Olympics venues to watch several events before leaving Japan. 

The first lady will be among a handful of people cheering athletes on as organizers announced earlier this month that spectators would be banned from Olympics' venues as COVID-19 cases spiked in Japan. 

Biden traveled with President Joe Biden last month to the first portion of his first global outing since being sworn-in in January. 

The first lady accompanied the president to the G7 in Cornwall, England, where she spent time with Carrie Johnson, the wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and their son Wilfred in Carbis Bay. 

Highlights also included a school tour with Kate Middleton and a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle with her husband.  

First lady Jill Biden greets people on the tarmac of Joint Base 

She departed for Japan Wednesday morning and made a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska to talk about the coronavirus vaccine  

On a previous trip in June, Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle (left) and went on a school tour with Kate Middleton (right) 

Jill Biden stops off in Alaska to tout getting vaccines to tribal communities

First lady Jill Biden made a stop in Anchorage, Alaska Wednesday en route to the Tokyo summer Olympics. 

Biden took a tour of the Alaska Native Medical Center, where she marveled at some of the ways Alaska medical providers distributed COVID-19 vaccines, especially to tribal communities.     

Dr. Cate Buley, the Medical Director of Primary Care Clinics at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium told the first lady, 'we delivered some vaccines in some whale-watching boats,' adding that it was 'nothing I ever expected.' 

'Or you want to do again,' Biden said laughing.   

Valerie Davidson, the President of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, greeted the first lady by pointing out a garbage can outside where they had recently spotted a bear. 

'Maybe it will come back for my visit,' Biden said.   

Biden was given a tele-health demonstration at the site. 

A map showed some of the distances communities are spread - with some as far as the distance from California to Georgia.

First lady Jill Biden made a stop in Anchorage, Alaska Wednesday en route to the Tokyo summer Olympics

The first lady was greeted on the tarmac and shown a garbage can where they recently spotted a bear. 'Maybe it will come back for my visit,' Biden said

Dr. Joseph Park, a cardiologist at the center, walked Biden through how people can see their EKG via computer. Dr. Cate Buley, beaming in from Juneau, said, 'the silver lining to the pandemic has been the explosion of this tele-medicine service.' She talked about how tele-medicine has led to cancer discoveries and healthy baby births.

Biden asked Buley how much mental health services she provides. 

Buley responds that 'it's increased a drastic amount.'

Biden asked Buley, 'are most of your patients receptive to getting the vaccine?'

'Yes we have extremely high vaccination rates,' Buley answered.

Afterward the first lady gave brief remarks.  

Davidson used a native Alaskan tribal language to greet the first lady and then switched to language. She also noted that 'some of our communities we have 100 per cent vaccination.' 

Dr. Anne Zink, the chief medical officer for the state of Alaska, also gave welcome remarks.

Dr. Biden took off her mask to speak. 

First lady Jill Biden is shown dolls wearing Alaskan native costume as she enters the Alaska Native Health Center Wednesday, receiving a trou from (from left) Dr. Anne Zink, the chief medical officer for the state of Alaska, and Valerie Davidson, the President of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

One of Dr. Jill Biden's greeters held a polar bear statue in his hand as he stood on the tarmac Wednesday to wave Executive One Foxtrot goodbye as the first lady departed for Tokyo, Japan 

Biden noted how Zink works out of a yurt.

Biden took the podium and tried several times to repeat the name of the Alaskan tribe that originally held the land – Dena'ina.

'See I'm getting it,' Biden said after a few attempts.

'So as you know I'm heading for the Tokyo Olympics,' she told the small group of reporters in the room. 'I asked if I could just stay a little bit longer,' she said of the stopover in Alaska.

'This state really is special to Joe and to me,' she added.

She talked about traveling the state with the late Sen. Ted Stevens, who served with President Biden in the U.S. Senate.

'We traveled all over this state by plane – well, mostly by plane,' Biden remarked.

She also talked about how she and Catherine Stevens were pregnant at the same time, when Biden was pregnant with daughter Ashley. 'And it was really a big deal in the Senate because here there hadn't been in a baby in the Senate for a long time,' Biden said. 'So most of them were, I guess, old men,' she said to laughter.

She heralded the center 'which has helped lead this state in vaccinating not only natives but non-natives as well.'

Biden talked about how she met a woman at her exercise class in Washington. 'Jill she said I want to thank you for what you're doing.' 'She said I lost four members of my family to the virus and she started to cry. And she said, you know what I did. I said what did you do Jackie And she said I went and I got 140 people to get the vaccine.'

'I just felt so terrible for her,' Biden continued. 'This this is our path forward, reaching out to those who are still undecided, persuading them to protect themselves and others. And we need to make this care, person by person,' she said, calling this the 'last push.'

'I'm asking all of you who are listening right now to choose to get vaccinated,' Biden said. 'COVID is more contagious than ever and it continues to spread. Even one hospitalization, only one life lost, is one too many.' 

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