Today is the Emperor’s Brithday, a public holiday in Japan and also one of the few occasions where you can enter the imperial palace. So I make my way back to central Tokyo to be there in time for when the doors open.

For his birthday the emperor invites the public onto the Kyuden plaza (map) to give a short speech. There are serveral sessions plannedfull story ...

Tags: emperor, festival, event, tokyo, imperial palace

Right in the centre of Tokyo in the Chiyoda district, opposite Tokyo station lies the imperial palace (wp). It is the private residence of emperor Akihito (wp) and the imperial family. Only on rare occasions, such as the emperor’s birthday on December 23., the palace opens its doors to the public. I shall return here for this event, but in the meantime I came to visit the imperial palace gardens, which are open to the public most of the time.
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Tags: imperial palace, garden, nature, autumn colours