Kyoto Imperial Palace

The other day I was bored and didn't have any private lessons planned for the day so I decided to take a trip to the emperor's house. The one I decided to go to was in Kyoto and from what I understand, he has a couple scattered throughout the country. Furthermore, this was not a palace but a home for aristocracy when it was first built. Whenever the emperor's house burnt down, he would travel from one noble's house to the next until his palace could be rebuilt. This used to be a house belonging to the aristocracy but now is in possession of the emperor.

(The wide roads and a bit of the wall surrounding the emperor's palace.)

The house sits on a compound which is about a mile and a half by a mile wide and there are several parks as well as a State House for foreign officials. The roads, as you can tell by the picture below, are rather wide and the palace is still in use. The emperor can come and go as he pleases and the palace is heavily guarded by officials.

(The building the emperor stays in when he comes to visit.)

The compound used to be broken down in to three parts: one for guests, another for the emperor, and then an area the empress and children. Depending on your social status, there are six gates surrounding the palace which one can enter through. The largest is reserved for the emperor followed by the empress, nobility, and finally an entrance for salves. I entered through the one reserved for slaves. However, I guess foreign dignatires are allowed to enter through the emporer's gate as well these days. Anyway, depending on the rank of the nobility, there were three waiting rooms - the tiger, crane, and cherry blossom rooms.

(The three waiting rooms. The closest is the cherry blossom for the lowest ranking nobles, next is the crane room, and finally, the tiger room reserved for the highest ranking nobility. Those entering the tiger room were allowed to be pulled in by a cart but the others had to walk to their destination.)

(The emperor's gate.)

Some other intesting facts: The emperor's throne is 10% bigger than that of his wives. The same thrones were used when the current emperor was annointed and flown to Tokyo for the ceremony. There is no electric in any of the buildings and fires were not used as heat either. The emperor's of old just had to layer up - sounds familiar. There are three sacred treasures bestowed upon each emperor - a sword, mirror, and some other object which I forget at the moment. One of these objects used to be housed in a building on the grounds but is no longer kept there. Twice a year, in the spring and autumn, visitors can get a closer view of the emperor's throne and are allowed to enter the courtyard. In the courtyard sits an orange tree and cherry blossom. One represents fertility and I am not sure what the other one signifies. If you know any of these pieces of information, please feel free to leave a comment.

(The building in which the two thrones are stored as well as a view of the courtyard. I guess special ceremonies take place within the courtyard throughout the year.)

(The building which use to house one of the three ancient treasures.)

(The emperor's yearly schedule. I believe there are over 300 events listed on the board... he's a busy man.)

(The emperor's pesonal garden. Of course, it was roped off.)

I must admit, I do love visiting all of these places and although they are historical, I wish I could see more of them. There are very few, if any, temples which I have been allowed to enter. From what I can tell, the inside is magnificent and I just would like to see a little more. Oh well... On a final note, the current emperor is of the same lineage of the first emperor (I believe), thus making the Japan the country with the longest continuous ruling family. Hope everyone is doing well, my apologies for not updating sooner but things have been a bit hectic as of late. I will explain more in a future posting. Take care.