The Imperial Palace is located in Tokyo. Since we will be traveling from Yokosuka-Chuo train station, I suggest you bring a book. It's going to be a long train ride. A friendly warning, the train is bound to be crowded. You may be forced to stand under the arm of a young Japanese man who is twice as wide as you are. His grandmother may or may not fall against you every time the train hits a curve.
After transferring trains in Shinagawa we will arrive at Tokyo station. The building will be crowded. Fortunately, that means we will have no trouble finding the Imperial Palace. All we have to do is follow the crowd spilling out of the station.
The Emperor will make his address several times so there's no need to rush. We can catch the 1:30 speech. It might be a good idea to get lunch first. We will eat lunch on the 5th floor of a shopping center. I recommend the tuna steak. It comes with rice and a tomato salad, which is basically a whole tomato in sauce. We will drink Jasmine tea and spend many minutes figuring out how to split the bill between the eight people in our party.
On the way out we hear a flute and drum and see a dragon dancing in the hall. He bites the heads of passersby and is greeted with applause. We can only guess that this is some sort of ritual for luck in the New Year. Members of our group may choose to participate.
Walking to the palace you will be struck first by the crowds and then by the scenery. The outer gardens are open most of the year and you can walk or even bike in them.
Today, however, we are entering the inner sanctum. We must pass two security checkpoints. At the first our bags will be searched, at the second we will be frisked by a smiling Japanese woman who gives us the "OK" signal when she is finished.
Someone may hand you a Japanese flag made of of paper. Take it. There are no gift shops in the palace so this will be your only souvenir.
The scenery becomes more striking as you near the palace gate. The crowd presses. A guard stands on a box on either side of the gate.
You have reached the sacred center.
Ancient buildings rise in the distance, but the palace itself is surprisingly modern. It has been updated over the years.
You are allowed into a cordoned area in a courtyard. You will stand there for half an hour, occasionally looking up at the bullet proof box where the Emperor will stand to give his address. The crowd presses closer as more people join the wait.
There are a surprising number of gaijin, foreigners, in the crowd. A blond girl smiles at you and you smile back then look away quickly in typical American fashion. You get the feeling she might be from Europe but you're not sure why you think that.
An announcement drifts over the crowd. You can't understand it, but everyone goes silent, expectant, so you know he is coming. When he finally steps into the box you can't see him because the crowd has lifted a thousands of flags and is waving them in a deafening rattle of paper.
You strain to see over the crowd, it would be easy if it weren't for the gaijin boys who are taller than you are. You lift your camera over your head, hoping to snap a picture of the man and his wife glimpsed between the bobbing heads.
He speaks words you don't understand. It is a short speech, only a few minutes long, but he stands another five minutes just waving at the crowd, letting them see him and take their pictures.
Then he is gone. The crowd quiets and turns to the left. You move, baby step by baby step, away from the palace, toward open ground. Eventually you can walk normally and let go of the purse carried by the girl in front of you. Your friend in turn, lets go of your bag.
The show is over, but there's still a lot to see. You pass gates and bridges.
You marvel over the height and thickness of the palace walls.
You shade your eyes from the sun glinting off the moat.
You stop to have your picture taken in a park opposite the palace.
On the train ride home you fight not to fall asleep. It's been a long day.
I leave you today with a quote from Emperor Akihito's address. "I am hoping that this year will prove a better year." That's a sentiment we can all agree on.
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