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Imperial Palace on Emperor's Day 2012/11/18 11:39
I will be in Tokyo on Emperor's day. I would love to be able to go to the Imperial Palace on that day to take the inner grounds tour. Has anyone ever done this before? What should I expect? Will it be extremely packed? Any tips (e.g. arrival time, specific sites/experiences) would be much appreciated.
by Zayd (guest)  

Re: Imperial Palace on Emperor's Day 2012/11/18 11:51
by kaikuu (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Imperial Palace on Emperor's Day 2012/11/18 11:56
I will be in Tokyo on Emperor's day.

I assume you mean the Emperor's Birthday on December 23.

I would love to be able to go to the Imperial Palace on that day to take the inner grounds tour.

Tours are not held on weekends and national holidays, including the Emperor's Birthday. However, on December 23 the palace grounds will be opened to the public, and the Imperial family is scheduled to make multiple appearances as explained here:
http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-event/sanga02.html

Has anyone ever done this before?

I have done it during the New Year's Greeting on January 2. I would expect it to be quite similar.

What should I expect?

Don't expect to see much of the palace grounds. You won't be able to enter any buildings, either. You can see the palace building from the outside, though, but many tourists are not very excited about the modern building. The highlight is the appearance of the Imperial family on a glass protected balcony and the crowd's excitement.

Will it be extremely packed?

The grounds are very spacious, but if you want to be close to the balcony, you will be standing in the middle of a large crowd. You don't have to, but then your views of the Emperor won't be as good.

The timing of the appearances have not been published for 2012, but I expect it to be the same as last year, although a change cannot be excluded due to the Emperor's health.

For the best views, it is best to arrive towards the end of the previous appearance after which most people will leave while you can move forward close to the balcony.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: Imperial Palace on Emperor's Day 2012/11/18 12:14
Uji, thank you very much for the detailed and thorough reply. I had misunderstood what was meant on some of the sites when it said the inner grounds were opened on Emperor's day, and your reply clarified things.

Much appreciated.
by Zayd (guest) rate this post as useful

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