I know Japan is crowded, the numbers are rather staggering (warning stat alert), it has bout half the population of the US, squeezed into less than 5% of the land area. Judging from the train ride from Nagoya to Tokyo “rural” has a very different definition here.
The train station is a just a few minute walk from the the Imperial Palace that is both the geographical center of Tokyo and regarded by all as the spitiual center of Japan. Close by is the center of the Japanese government and the most important embassies in the country.
One thing that is clear, nothing stays still for long, the renewal of the old into the new high rises carries on at a massive rate.
The dichotomy here is the Imperial house of Japan, it’s the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, by tradition the family lineage goes back to Emperor Jimmu who (and historians are mixed on this) came to the throne somewhere around 660BC (that’s 2770 years ago)
The Imperial Palace is the offical home of the Emperor and Imperial Family. The actual role and power of the Emperor has gone back and forth between absolute ruler and largely ceremonial over the centuries.
In the post war constitution the Emperor is “symbol of the state and the unity of the people”, he is also the head of the Shinto religion. As I’ve said before the history of the Imperial family and Japan in general is fascinating.
Most of the current palace dates back to the 1950’s and 60’s. Unlike Kyoto, Tokyo never escaped being bombed during the war. In May 1945 most of the structures of the Imperial Palace and a substantial part of central Tokyo were destroyed in a fire-bombing raid.
Like many royal residences most of the grounds require an invite to visit, only a small portion is open most days. I took advantage of some beautiful weather and wandered around as much as I could.
After the palace I took a walk to Ginza. Think of Rodeo Drive, the a-z of big labels is there (Apple – deal it’s a geek label, Armani, Burberry, Bulgari and so on, you get the idea) but bigger and way more crowded. Remember that whole half the population of the US in a tiny area stat, most of them were shopping in Ginza the weekend before Christmas. It was quite the scene.
I did spend an hour in a bookstore, Kinokuniya was recommended to me as having a good English section. There was a whole floor of English books, I picked up a couple of history books to keep me entertained on the plane. The English language section was a rather quiet oasis compared to the rest of the area. Despite a number of the roads being closed to traffic for the weekend the crowds were huge. It was another “holy heck, this is Tokyo” moment in the midst of a fascinating city.