Also in the same year, when Empress Dowager Shoken attended the opening ceremony of Nippon Railway Ueno Station – Takasaki Station, which Tomozane YOSHII who was the Kunai-taifu (post of Imperial Household Ministry) used to be president of, the empress handled the event with a smile throughout the whole time even though Emperor Meiji did not show much enthusiasm to attend and it was raining all day; YOSHII was greatly touched because of this (a letter written by YOSHII to Seiichi MIYAJIMA).
また、同年に宮内大輔の吉井友実が以前に社長を務めていた日本鉄道の上野駅－高崎駅間開通式典に出席した際に、明治天皇は出席に乗り気ではなく天気も一日中雨であったが、皇后は終始笑顔で応対し吉井を感激させた（吉井の宮島誠一郎宛書簡）。