Probably many of you knew that Japan is still
run by an emperor. What you
probably did not know is that the
Imperial Palace is
only open to the public two days a
year .
The
Imperial Palace in Tokyo is now on the site
of the Edo-jo, a stronghold
of the sixteenth century, which
was restored by Tokugawa Ieyasu shogun in 1950. In the middle of seventeenth
century the Edo-jo was the largest
castle in the world, actually, it was a proper city. Its buildings were
burned (especially during fire in
Meireki 1965) and
have been rebuilt several times.
The castle was demolished for the Meiji Emperor to
live in the new construction when
he moved to Tokyo, in 1868. The Emperor stayed at the Akasaka Palace until
the new palace building was stood in 1888 on
the site of initial Alas castle.
The
new palace
was destroyed in the
1945 bombing and the current building was completed in 1968. The massive
walls and water ditches around are part of
the original complex Edo-jo, and so is the restored
gate, Otemon, which is beyond the famous
bridge called Nijubashi and in front
of the Eastern Garden, current place of Edo-jo.
In addition to an elegant landscape with
ponds and pines, the garden contains ruins
of Edo-jo and
the 100 Guards building,
built in 1863.
In the middle of this garden, there is the actual Imperial
Palace. It is open to the public
only on 2nd January and on the birthday
of the Emperor, but the huge line
turns this event into
a very unpleasant experience.
The garden outside the palace is a public park. It offers an impressive view over the Nijubashi bridge. This area is excellent for runners, businessmen and couples.
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