23rd December

Delayedly I report the December 23rd, on which the Japanese Emperor's birthday is celebrated in the Imperial Gardens.
Here the masses of visitors cross the bride to enter a part of the palace that is opened to the public only on the 23.12.



Of course Gala-chan, Kamran and me could not be repelled by rainy wheather, and so we ended up cheering "Tennoooo!" and swinging Japanese flags among many hundred Japanese who came to see their emperor.



We even got to see Tenno Akihito and his wife wave from the balcony!