Sunday 21/5:
Which is actually not such an easy thing as it might sound. First of all, the Emperors palace, or Tokyo Imperial palace as it is called is only open to the public two days of the year, that is January 2, which is New Year’s Greeting day over here, and a big thing, and then December 23, which is the Emperor’s birthday. On these days they will actually appear on the balcony, just like the Norwegian royal family on 17 of May, which I wrote about in my last post.
But since I was back home in Norway on both of these days, I would have to find another way to get into the inner gardens and see the palace, or actually Shing did. There are apparently guided tours in the inner gardens all year round, but you have to apply months in advance, and there is a big security check or something because they asked us for passport numbers and loads of stuff true the whole application process. Shing didn’t recommend doing it again, and I was as usually happy to take advantage of someone else taking the initiative. Doing stuff and being active is great, but the planning and organization part is a bore, so the trick is to get everyone else to do it for you :P
Anyway, meeting on time was important and we ended up running the last hundred meters or so. The actual tour was of course done in a big group, all in Japanese, but with English walking guides for us foreigners. We were supposed to walk in three lines and everything, not that anyone did, but there was guards herding us the whole way, taking care we didn’t step on the wrong side of the sidewalk and so one, so that you really felt like sheep.
It was midday, and pretty hot, and all the fine ladies were using umbrellas for the sun, which they do over here. I remember thinking it looked so corny with the sea of umbrellas, but in the end I should maybe have brought one myself, or at least used sunscreen because in the end, I ended up with the seasons first sunburn.
How many umbrellas do you count?
How many sunhats do you count?
The inner garden was pretty enough, with big open spaces which is a luxury in Tokyo. The palace itself was a long modern looking building, in front of a huge plaza, at the time being swept by a horde of normal looking people in white headbands. I didn’t really get the hang of who they where, but maybe it is another tour where you are allowed to help out at the palace?
Anyway, we saw a watch-tower, the palace, a famous bridge, and that was about it, and here are the pictures.
The palace, with some entertaining guys in front of it. Qian on the left, also a new YSEP student and also from Singapore, and Hatto on the right, YSEP student from Thailand. Qian is by the way not sick, but just properly prepared, now that the swine flue came to Japan. We are all advised by the University to not travel abroad, wash hands, avoid close contact with sick people and “practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food and keeping physically active”…
The famous bridge, and a sun umbrella close up. Pay attention, since this is important Japanese culture. While we sun bath in Norway to make us self look darker, they try to keep out of the sun as much as possible to keep themselves light. They even have lightening creams and products, which can be kind of dangerous I have heard, since they contain acids. I was given a free sample once, visiting a pharmacy..
PS: Next post is gone be a good one ^^
Hei Kari!
Jeg kom over bloggen din etter litt facebooksurfing, og har nå lest om hele eventyret og tenker “jeg vil tilbake!” Ser ut som du opplever utrolig mye, og blir mye bedre kjent med den japanske kulturen enn jeg blei i Singapore (dog ble jeg såpass godt kjent med den at jeg LO av Singaporeanern med munnbindet..har noen sagt noe er farlig, da er det farlig da :P)
Uansett, kos deg siste tida – nå som jeg har funnet deg skal jeg helt sikkert lese mer ;-)
Klemmer fra Line
Hei!
Wow, leste du hele bloggen på en gang, det var litt av en bragd!
Nå fant jeg Lines lille verden også, så blir nok litt lesing på meg også. Kanskje ikke hele, sånn med en gang (ser du har holdt på noen år lenger en meg, og er proff blogger :P ), men i alle fall veldig interessert i Singapore delen. Vi må ha hatt en del like opplevelser i Asia.
Uansett, skal følge din anbefalning å gjøre det meste ut av den siste tida her.
Klem Kari ^^
Slik går det når man har for mye fritid vettu ;-)
Er nok en hel del likt, men mye ulikt også fra Asia..Singapore er jo litt enklere språkmessig blant annet :P Vil du lese så er det bare å begynne i juli 2006 – var da jeg reiste ut…åååh…vil tilbake!