Imperial Palace

Jonathan and I rolled out of bed on early on Saturday to take our friends to the train station. We planned to drop them off and then return to our apartment to sleep a little more, shower, and then go off on an adventure. After dropping off our friends, we realized that we were very close to the Imperial Palace, and despite the fact that we were wearing the clothes we slept in, we decided to take this as our opportunity to tour the Imperial Palace and the Gardens surrounding it.

It was a hot and muggy day, which helped add to the already ruminating odors wafting off our bodies. I have no idea what gave us the motivation to spend the day out like that, especially since we were so greasy and disheveled (my hair in the pictures will testify of our grunginess), but it was a really fun. Saturdays are always wonderful because Jonathan just wants to play and he has nothing to worry about now that he is out of school for the summer.


To be honest, although the grounds were quite pretty and unique, the tour was somewhat disappointing. The Imperial palace grounds are only open to the public twice a year for a few hours, so we had to see the Palace from afar. The imperial Palace grounds are huge. The Palace itself is surrounded by several moats and thick stone walls. Inside of the moats and walls is where the Imperial family still lives today. Japan’s Imperial family is almost as interesting and scandalous as the British one. The current Impress was the first commoner to ever marry into the royal family. The Japanese Imperial family is also the oldest royal family in the world.

The most exciting part of the day was when Jonathan and I, exhausted and sweating, decided to take a rest near one of the well-guarded entrances to the palace. About ten policemen guard each entrance to the Imperial Palace at any given time. As I walked by I saw several guards chatting with a man in a business suit. I didn’t think anything of it and went on with my conversation with Jonathan until I heard a man yelling and several feet scuffling in the pebbley walk way. I quickly turned my attention to see the man being arrested and dragged behind the huge wooden door. It was so exciting! It wasn’t long before a little Japanese police car drove up, lights flashing, and carried the man away. Jonathan and I like to think that we witness an assassination attempt on the Emperor.

We finally made it back home a little after lunch time and slept in our hot little apartment until the evening. It was the perfect Tokyo day.

This is a Japanese Garden. It's also the only place that I have seen grass since I've been in Tokyo. Although it's not really grass (more like moss), it was so refreshing to relax on.
Jonathan and I posing by the bridge that you cross to get into the palace. Please take not of my hair. Can you believe that Jonathan was walking around with me looking like that?
Par of the Imperial Palace

This the famous Tokyo train station. It is a huge western style building that was built after WWII. Once a year all the members of state and other political figures leave this station and take horse drawn carriages to the Imperial Palace to visit the Emperor.
Jonathan by one of the outer moats of the Imperial Palace.
The Japanese use this description instead of "Homeless Shelter."

They work really hard to make the pine tress grow this way. You'll notice in the first picture that the pine trees look gnarly and their needles sparse. They groom them to look that way.