Hibiya (Imperial
Palace and Gardens)
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Hibiya Park was opened
in 1903 and is one of Tokyo's first western style parks. It contains
dogwoods donated by the U.S.A. in return for cherry trees given by the
Japanese for Washington D.C.
Imperial
Palace |
| We ate lunch
at a buffet restaurant overlooking this pretty view.
Cost for lunch each: 1200
yen ($8.45) |
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After visiting Hibiya park
we walked to the Imperial Gardens. This was once part of the Emperor's
private garden.
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| June is the
rainy season in Japan, but we were lucky as it only rained one day during
our week stay. The temperature was in the upper 70s and 80s and occassionally
humid. |
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From the Nijubashi Bridge,
you can see a section of the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace
has been the home of Japan's Imperial Family since 1888. It is built on
the same location Edo Castle used to stand during the days of the Tokugawa
Shogunate.
The original structure was
destroyed during 1945 air raids and the palace was rebuilt in 1968. |
| Huge carp
swim throughout the moat surrounding the palace. We also saw turtles
resting on logs. |
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The Imperial Palace and
Gardens was at one time in history the biggest fortress in the world.
Though hard to see in this
picture, there are two guards, one in each of the white booths by
the gate. |
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Roger with a royal feathered
friend.
We could hear martial arts
classes as we walk through portions of the park. The classes were for the
city police. |
| Statue of a
famous Japanese Warrior
After resting at the statute
and getting a cool drink, we continued our journey to the Tokyo Modern
Art Museum. Along the way, Marilyn saw an old man ride by on a bicycle.
In his basket was a puppy and two cats. They seemed to be enjoying the
ride! |
See
the statue up close
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