On 22nd of December 2018, we had the last tour to The East Garden of The Imperial Palace for this year. Despite the cold rainy weather, we had 15 guests from Australia, Canada, Philippines, India and China. We are thankful to all of them for attending our tour in the bad weather.
This year, we can still enjoy the beautiful autumn foliage. As strolling along the path of the East Garden, we were sometimes greeted by the gingko’s dazzling yellow and maple’s stunning red.
By the way, today is 23rd of December, and is the current Emperor’s 85th birthday. Also, it is the last birthday for him as the Emperor. He abdicates at the end of next April, and the current crown prince ascends the throne soon after that. Since the current Emperor has been much loved and admired by the people of Japan, many people visited the Imperial Palace today to celebrate his birthday on the General Public for His Majesty’s Birthday. Recently the visitors are not only Japanese but also many tourists from abroad. For those who missed attending, the chance of greeting the royal family comes again on the 2nd of January 2019. And it’s entirely the last to see him directly as the Emperor. Most Japanese are more or less sentimental recalling the 30 years of his era. This period of time is called Heisei “平成”. At present, nobody knows what name is going to be given to the new Emperor’s era. Whatever the name is, we do hope the upcoming new era will be filled with peace, hope, aspiration and joy!
(Posted by Masako)