Emperor's Birthday

This past Saturday (12/23/2006) was Emperor Akihito's birthday. This is a national holiday here in Japan, and they open the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace to the public (they are also open on January 2nd each year). You are able to walk through the grounds, and the Emperor and his family make a few scheduled appearances with a short speech from the Emperor. It was a bit strange, as I am not Japanese and was by far one of the tallest people around me (by a head and a set of shoulders above most). It also fell a little short of expectations, as they ushered us in, kept things brief, and then ushered us out of the grounds (they even had guards constantly asking people to keep walking rather than stopping to take pictures on the way to the palace). All in all, I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad I additional plans in Tokyo for the afternoon.

Here is a picture of the Imperial Palace as you first walk into the concrete plaza. The plaza was pretty large, and it filled with people waving paper Japanese flags for each appearance. It quickly became a sea of people, but I luckily arrived early and got a spot about 10 feet behind the VIP area.

This is a picture of one of the guard towers in the Imperial Gardens. You can actually see this building from the streets and the gardens (which are open to the public), but you can only get a shot like this of the past and present together by walking down from the palace.


Lastly, as it is Christmas Day for most of you, I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone that sent me a Christmas card, e-mail, and/or present. It was nice to hear from people, and it reassured me that at least some people still remember me in the US. :) Also, I want to show you that I do indeed have a Christmas tree over here Mom (which I promptly put back in it's little container... I just don't have room).

(Disclaimer: Okay, so as of 1/2/2007, stupid Blogger still won't let me upload my Christmas gift picture. Sorry.)