Saturday Morning Tour Report of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 18, 2023

Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 18, 2023. We welcomed 7 guests from UK, US, and, Israel. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had.

The regular Saturday tours are usually conducted in the afternoon, but today the tour took place in the morning. We enjoyed a delightful tour with our guests under the clear and pleasant weather. Due to Shibuya Station improvement construction, all trains on the Yamanote Line outer loop between Osaki – Shibuya – Shinjuku – Ikebukuro were closed on November 18 and 19. We were worried that some guests might face difficulties joining the tour or experience considerable delays due to the train suspension. Fortunately, we were relieved to find that our guests were not significantly impacted.

Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress met with the President and his wife of Kyrgyzstan on November 17 at the Imperial Palace and hosted a luncheon. While Western cuisine has consistently been served at luncheon and dinner parties for foreign guests, this time, at the suggestion of Their Majesties, Japanese appetizers were served for the first time. The luncheon with foreign VIPs hosted by Their Majesties is the first time since December 2019, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Japanese cuisine has been globally acclaimed, Their Majesties suggested including Japanese dishes in the luncheon, such as temari-sushi. It seemed that the Kyrgyz side enjoyed the meal.

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(Posted by Yutaka)