Tenno-sama

Or Skippy meets the Emperor.

Not really meet-more like shuffle with the herd of 80,000 Nihonjin to stand in front of the palace and wave a flag. Probably if I were to actually meet the Emperor, diplomatic relations between the US and Japan would be set back 80 years.

Anyway. The day after new years is the day that the Emperor gives his New Years greetings to the Japanese people. It is one of only two days in the year that grounds of the Imperial Palace is open to the public. As a part of our sojourn into Tokyo, the S.O. and decided to go see it-she’s never done it and since I don’t know where I will be next year, I figured I better not put it off any longer.

Follow me to see the palace! 

The getting in and getting out part is actually fairly well done. You had to go through a metal detector and then for what ever reason, I had to go through a pat down search by a very pretty policewoman. They did not bother matching genders up for that-you went to the police-person that was closest. Mine just happened to be female, cute, and filled out her tight police uniform nicely. That was the highlight of my day! 🙂

In Line

Then it was joining the herd for the trudge up the hill:

Guard tower by the gate to the palace.

Once in the grounds proper you joined the assembled masses waiting in front of the glass viewing booth. According to the S.O. they used to actually stand on an open balcony, but some bonehead actually had the nerve to throw a rock at the Emperor many years back and that was that.

One part of the palace.

We had to sit through two “performances” to get where we could see well. For the second one we got really lucky and were able to muscle our way up to near the front in the center:

The place where they come out.

We had to wait about 40 minutes and right on time the Royal Family made their appearance:

Tenno-sama himself!

Tenno is the word the Japanese use for the emperor. His Imperial Majesty AKIHITO, the 125th Emperor of Japan, is on the left-Emperess Michiko is on the right.

The Royal family was also there:

On the left is the crown prince Naruhito. The couple to the right is Prince Akishino (Fumihito is his name), the emperor’s second son. With him is his wife Kiko. Kiko-sama, “took one for the team” in 2006 by becoming pregnant with, and giving birth to, a male heir to the throne-Hisahito-thereby postponing a female succession crisis for at least a generation.

The Emperor gave a brief speech, and I do mean brief, in Japanese. ( “Its a new year-I’m really happy about it.” That was pretty much it). Then they were gone.

And it was time to leave. We did stop to get some pix of the other side of the palace:

The Imperial Office building:

The guard tower:

And the S.O.:

I really like that hat!

Then we went out and on to Tokyo station-there to shop for Fukubukuro. That is another story entirely.