After a busy first day, we started the day with a light Japanese breakfast.Our accommodation is in the Minato area and very close to the Aoyama Itchome Subway Station, so we have easy transportation. With the excuse of the heavy rain outside and probably being the only Turk in the hotel, I am committed to finishing the coffee thermos before the day starts.
Today our route is the Imperial Palace!!! We took the subway, which I love very much, to the Tokyo Station. The Imperial Palace is an important building for the Japanese people who are very attached to their traditions and history, because today’s Japanese Emperor family still resides in this palace. The first feature of this castle, which was completed in 1457, is its defense reinforced with stone walls and moats surrounding it. I am not sure if it had such a strong defense when it was first built because at the time it was built, Japan had a feudal form of government, not a strong empire, so the first owners of this castle were landlords or feudal lords. Later, with Tokugawa Shokun, this castle became even more important with the transition of Japan towards centralized rule and Tokyo becoming the political center. But Tokugawa Shogun is actually a soldier, not a descendant of the emperor. This title continued until the last commander died in 1913.When the Shogun started to lose his power after about 200 years of harsh military rule, the Meiji Restoration period began and the real Emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo. Since then, the Emperor’s family has been living in this castle.
Being such an old building, it normally had to undergo renovations several times, but it was badly damaged during the Second World War. According to the writings, it was rebuilt after the war was over, staying loyal to the old architecture. There is a huge garden around the palace, known as the East Garden, which is open to the public. This is the only place that is officially open to the public. Unfortunately, it is forbidden to enter the interior of the palace.
My favorite view is the Nijubashi Bridge, which is the main entrance to the palace. Unfortunately, it is closed to the public, but even the view from a distance is very pleasant. The view is very beautiful especially when the cherry trees bloom, but we did not catch that period. Nevertheless, it is one of the must-see places in Tokyo. If you go when the weather is clear, you can see the view created by the reflections in the water.
Tokyo is confused today. It’s rainy and very hot. When the rain became heavier towards noon, we changed our plan and decided to stop by the Yebisu Beer Museum, the oldest beer brand in Japan. The place where the factory was first established is today both a museum and a place where you can taste the beers produced. The name Yebisu comes from Ebisu, one of the Seven Gods in Japanese Mythology and believed to bring fortune to fishermen. As such, we had to drink 🙂 There is not only beer but also a small area where you can shop.
When we went outside it was still raining. The first thing that caught my attention was a little boy playing in the rain. He was probably on his way home from school. We watched from a distance for a while. The rain didn’t stop and the boy didn’t care and went on his way…
See you in the next Japan article
