Thank you for joining our tour at East Garden of the Imperial Palace on January 17th.We welcomed 24 guests from Australia, France, Brazil, US, New Zealand, Netherlands, and Germany.
We hope all of you enjoyed our tour in the wonderful weather, and shared interesting conversations with us. We’ve posted group photos and snapshots so that you can look back on the fun times we had.
By the way, January 17th, the day we had the tour together, is an unforgettable date in Japan’s disaster history.
On this day in 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck Hyogo Prefecture and nearby areas. The earthquake reached a maximum seismic intensity of 7. More than 6,000 people lost their lives, and three people are still missing today.
I still remember the images from that time. Highways collapsed, and fires spread through the city. Even after more than 30 years, these scenes remain strong in my memory.
Right after the earthquake, lifelines such as water, electricity, and transportation stopped working. Government services could not function well. At that time, student volunteers played a very important role. They helped remove debris, cooked meals, and supported shelters. Their wish to help, even in small ways, gave great strength to the people affected.
Because of this experience, people in Japan began to think more seriously about disaster preparedness and the importance of volunteers.
After that, Japan experienced other major disasters, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake (2011) and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (2024). Nowadays, when earthquakes, floods, or other natural disasters happen, volunteers from all over Japan come to help with recovery. This has become a normal and important part of disaster response.
Our activities are also carried out on volunteer basis. We continue this work because we want you to enjoy Japan and create happy and unforgettable memories. Your smiles after the tour give us the greatest motivation.
Big disasters like earthquakes can suddenly take lives and separate families. When this happens, we realize how precious peaceful and ordinary daily life truly is.
The day of this tour was very calm and peaceful. It was not very cold. The air was clear, the sky was blue, and there was no wind. It was a perfect day to walk around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. You can see how calm it was in the photo of the pond in Ninomaru Garden.
…Did you notice something?
This photo is actually upside down. The water was so still that it reflected the scenery like a mirror. Even when the photo is turned upside down, it is hard to tell which side is the reflection and which side is the real thing.
Around the world, many people are facing very difficult situations, even worse than natural disasters. We truly hope that they can spend their days in peace and calm as soon as possible, just like the weather on this day.
Once again, thank you for choosing our tour during your precious time in Tokyo. We always make efforts to improve our tours and highly appreciate your feedback on our TripAdvisor, Google etc. Your comments motivate us to continue our volunteer activities.
Next time you’re in Tokyo, please join our other tours. We’d love to see you again!
Posted by Minoru
If you want more info about our tour, check out our website.