The Imperial Palace: Cuz Why Not...

So yesterday, Emperor Akihito/Heisei/Tenno-sama whatever you want to call him, celebrated his seventy-fourth birthday.  To witness his annual birthday address, commoners were allowed to cross the moat and enter the palace grounds.  This only happens a couple of times a year, so T and I woke up early yesterday morning to check it out.

The excursion was something I'd planned to do- over and over again- almost every December since I arrived in this country.  And yet, no matter how enthusiastic I felt about entering the forbidden palace grounds, I'd always been too hungover on the morning of the 23rd to actually get out of bed.

But not this year.

Basically, after you enter the imperial ground, you stand and wait for the royal birthday boy to come out and acknowledge his adoring public through the bullet-proof glass.

Then, when the emperor and his royal family come into sight, you are supposed to wave your rising sun flags madly and shout "banzai!" repeatedly, so that nobody can actually see the royals appear amidst all the fervor.

Oh wait, there they are...sort of.

Luckily, when the emperor began to speak the crowd calmed down enough so that we could actually see him.  At that, his highness embarked on a short speech that involved what is possibly the most uncontroversial topic ever: the weather that day.

In Japan the royals hardly speak about their true feelings, while precious little information is ever leaked about the controversies within the imperial household. 

This leaves quite a bit to the imagination.  As mine is especially active today, here is what I'd guess the royal family was thinking just then.  From left to right, they are: Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, and Prince Akishino. (Click on the picture to view a larger image.)   

Comments

[Ashi]

Happy BBAAAAAssday lol, I can just imagine the voice and all, so funny! Lucky you though, being able to go into the palace grounds!