Tokyo Station | 東京駅
Waking up bright and early, not by choice (still adjusting!) we called the kids via Skype again, got another big breakfast at the hotel and headed off to the station to break in our Suica cards, and de-flower ourselves to the Tokyo Metro rail system.
Our target was the JR Chuo line for Tokyo station. Luckily, the JR entrance was close to us at the South Terrace Entrance. We flashed our cards at the gate, and it let us right in, sweet! So far so good. We jumped on the next car bound for Tokyo Station.
The subway system is far, far different from what you’ll experience on the Narita express. Get a seat when you can, or you’ll be standing. Probably indicative of subway systems everywhere, but since we’d never used one before, anywhere, this was all new to us. I could understand about 3/4 of the Japanese announcing the stops, and had no trouble getting off at Tokyo Station.
But I got my directions wrong once we got there, thinking we wanted a different exit than what we actually did, we exited at the North exit. When we finally saw daylight, I knew the scenery was wrong (thanks Google Earth!) and had to act the tourist, pulling out the map and compass. Bearings re-adjusted, we got around the station to where we wanted to be, more or less, and headed for the Imperial Palace Grounds.
The grounds are surrounded by a huge moat, complete with swans, turtles, and plenty of huge carp. I’m not sure if you’d call these koi or not, as they were your average carp green… regardless, the outer walls were suitably impressive, and the sheer scale of the complex was readily apparent. Which meant we had a bit of walking to do in order to get to our first destination, the Sakuradamon gate.
Sakuradamon Gate | 桜太門
Once inside, you’re again reminded of the scale of this area. The public grounds are actually fairly barren, mostly pavement and gravel, with some areas of finely manicured pines and grass. The contrast between this and the skyscrapers just across the moat is really a sight to see. We figured the openness of this area was because it must be an assembly area for when the Emperor speaks publicly or something. That was about the only explanation. Either that or this area used to be bustling with smaller buildings at some point, I don’t know for sure.
We stopped just the other side of the gate area at one of the few benches to be found. For some reason the Japanese seem to have an aversion to anyplace to stop and rest your feet. Places to sit are scarce, everywhere. Maybe its to cut down on the number of homeless people taking up residence, as there was a guy with a bike and an umbrella taking a nap under some newspapers nearby.
But of course one sight here is what everyone comes to see, the Nijubashi bridge, and the inner moat and building just behind it. Not to disappoint, we took ample photos here, furthering the status of this spot as one of the most photographed locations in Japan. It really is a beautiful spot. Paired with the light rain hitting the water, it was breathtaking, and makes you think, “wow, I’m actually here!”
Nijubashi
On up a little further, you can get to one end of the bridge, but no further. There is a guard post there along with a rather obvious barrier which makes it obvious you won’t get any closer. From this point you can photo the building and another bridge a little closer.
Going back around the pines, you come across another guard shack, this one protecting the main road into the inner area. In the distance is one of the official buildings.
Continuing on around, you’ll pass another guard shack as you walk around the moat back towards the main road, passing a reconstructed building on one corner, on your way towards the East Gardens entrance.
Honestly, while I’m glad I came here, my feet were not. For the amount of walking we did, there really isn’t a lot to be seen. Nijubashi made it mostly worth the effort, though. In retrospect, I think I might have been better off finding a closer subway exit, like the aptly named Sakuradamon, even if it meant transferring lines.
Regardless, our feet already complaining loudly, we popped some ibuprofen and headed into the East Gardens….
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