TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko on Tuesday observed a class at a town-run educational facility in Fukushima Prefecture as they continued with their overnight trip to inspect recovery efforts from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The imperial family interacted with children who presented their thoughts on reconstruction and what they wanted to be in the future at the Manabiya Yumenomori facility in Okuma, not far from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The family also met with individuals working on regional revitalization following the meltdown at the nuclear complex, triggered by the earthquake and tsunami. The emperor offered encouragement, saying "please keep up the good work."

Earlier in the day, the family visited the Historical Archive Museum of Tomioka, which preserves memories of the disaster, where they viewed exhibits including a police car that was swept away and severely damaged by the tsunami.

They also visited a rest stop in Namie, where they were told about local reconstruction initiatives, including those by sake breweries.

On the first day, the imperial family visited Futaba and laid flowers at a memorial altar set up in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum. They also met with survivors before staying overnight at the J-Village sports facility, which was used as a disaster response base.

Following the day's activities, the imperial couple released a statement through the Imperial Household Agency, saying they had "keenly felt the immense scale of the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake."

"We are mindful of the difficulties (survivors) have endured and feel deep respect for their efforts toward reconstruction," they added.