The Palace was some kilometers away from our hotel and so we hopped into a taxi. We didn't intend to visit the inside of the Palace, but did want to see the east gardens which are open to the public. The site occupies a huge area and so we did a lot of walking.
Lines of people were led from their buses to the point from which it is possible to take photos.
A race was taking place, adding to the confusion.
There is ally of space between the moat and the nearest buildings; not unlike Buckingham Palace, but this space is empty.
The Palace is surrounded by a moat and has guards, though the Palace is only used by the Emperor a couple of days a year.
A close up of the Palace
And a detail of a roof decoration, a stylised carp
We visited a local park on our way to the Palace gardens. It wasn't as noteable as the Shinjuko gardens but did have a bandstand/outdoor concert area
and a lovely Sinji pond.
The twitchers were out
Taking photos of this kingfisher
Walking around the Palace boundaries, this cormorant fly in and was extremely proficient at catching fish, but he ate them too fast for us to capture the image.
This is the guard tower and the East Gate.
The gardens are large and home to government offices, wooded areas, the remains of an Edo castle, art galleries and museums.
The Edo castle was built in 1457 and became part of the Imperial Palace in due course. Some ramparts and walls still exist. Only the walls are left, but people climb steep slopes to get to the top. The view isn't that exciting.
The rose garden, just waiting for summer
The second site on our list was the Meiji Shinto shrine, the most popular shrine in Tokyo built in 1920 and commemorating an Emperor and Empress. In fact, it was bombed during the war and reconstructed.
The entrance. The arches are called torii.
To get to the shrine, one walks through a wood. following the crowds and passing these ornate lights
We saw offerings of wine and sake.
Before entering the shrine, we copied other visitors and washed our hands
Then we entered the inner part
A wedding had just taken place
We could go up to the shrine with everyone else, but not take photos. The routine is to throw an offering of money, bow twice, clap your hands twice and bow once.
In addition, you can write a wish on a piece of wood (which you buy), hang it up and the priests will offer up your request.
That was it for the day. We went out for an "Italian" meal and a bottle of wine in a small basement restaurant!
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