Tokyo Core - The Imperial Palace and the East Gardens
Tokyo, formerly known as Edo, has been the political center of Japan since Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate here. At that time, the Tokugawa clan built a huge Edo Castle in Edo, which had a population of nearly one million at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, making it one of the largest cities in the world at that time. With the relocation of Emperor Meiji to Edo, Edo was renamed Tokyo due to the presence of the emperor, becoming the political, economic and cultural center of Japan, and the Edo Castle, which once served as the shogunate's residence, also became the Imperial Palace where the emperor lived.
As the Japanese emperor still lives today, the Imperial Palace is still the residence of the imperial family and is therefore not open to the public. People can only see the Nijubashi Bridge across the moat. In the heart of such a large capital of a modern developed country, there is such a mysterious place that is unknown and unexplored, which makes people feel a sense of disconnection. Perhaps this is what is called an incomplete revolution.
The square in front of the Nijubashi Bridge of the Imperial Palace is not hardened, but is covered with white gravel. Walking on it makes a rustling sound. It is said that this was deliberately done when Edo Castle was built, with white gravel surrounding the entire city. In this way, even ninjas known for their light work could not sneak into the city without making a sound.
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on the east side of the Imperial Palace is a royal garden donated to society by the emperor after the war, and is also part of the original Edo Castle. Entering the city from the huge stone wall, you can see the houses where the samurai lived during the Tokugawa period. Entering the inner city, you can see a huge stone base, which is the site of the former Edo Castle tower. After the Tokugawa clan destroyed the Toyotomi clan, they built a tower in Edo Castle that was more majestic and tall than Osaka Castle, which was the grand scene in Japan at that time. Unfortunately, this tower was destroyed in a fire less than half a century after it was built. Now, standing on the base of the tower, you can see the high-rise buildings in Marunouchi through the lush trees of the garden, which adds a sense of time and change.
The East Gardens is a complete Japanese garden, with precious flowers and trees from Japan's 47 prefectures, making it a botanical garden where plants from all over Japan gather. In the Kitanomaru in the north of the garden, there is the famous Nippon Budokan, which is the venue for sumo wrestling, Japan's national sport, and also a famous concert venue. Next to the Budokan, on the bank of the moat, is the famous cherry blossom viewing spot - Chidorigafuchi.
The annual trip to the Imperial Palace to enjoy autumn leaves is only open for half a month. It is 700 meters long. It is necessary to check security. From the lower door to the dry door, one-way street, all the way to autumn color, and there are half of the first half of the year. It is not easy to meet the appointment.
The only area where the Tokyo Imperial Palace opens its gates for the public visits.
The Royal Palace in the center of Tokyo still retains the original design and function. Although the shadow of the high-rise buildings can be easily avoided from time to time. Pine forest Sensen, Qingxi, the sound of cicadas and insects, still a pastoral scenery, this is rare in the palace forbidden garden...It is worth a visit :)
The Eastern Imperial Court is the imperial garden of Japan. Although it is part of the imperial residence, there is no need to make an appointment. Besides Monday and Friday, it is free to visit at any time. Every flower and tree here is pruned very delicately, step by step, very beautiful.
The large imperial residence, in which visitors must make reservations, is also a general visitor to Waiyuan and Dongyuyuan to see, many years ago in the window of the world in Shenzhen saw Japan's miniature buildings, probably the imperial residence, the architectural style is almost the same. It's very quiet inside, but for the tall building outside the fence, it's really a bit of a sense of crossing.
The Imperial Garden on the east side of the Imperial Palace is more convenient to walk from the subway Osaka Station. There is a security check at the door, and you can start to visit after you enter the gate with a visiting card. The first encounter was the Sanzhimaru Collection Hall, which was not large in size. Then there are two branches on the left, go to the Honmaru Lawn on the left, and the Erzhimaru Garden on the right. Go in from any branch and turn around from another branch to visit the whole park. Honmaru is a long lawn and Tianguardian. The lawn is very long and can stand up to tens of thousands of people. The Tianshoutai is at the other end of the lawn, just a three-story stone platform, standing up to see no scenery. It feels like a place to gather. Imagine that countless subjects stand on the lawn and look up at the emperor reading a book on the platform. In comparison, the Erzhimaru Garden is like the Royal Garden. There are garden landscapes such as small lawns and ponds behind a forest. Regardless of the tree and shrub lawn, it is very clean and beautiful, and such an atmospheric Japanese garden is not seen too much. When there are no flowers, the eyes are green, and the scenery is a little monotonous.