Waving at the royal family

Do you want to see the Japanese royal family? Each year there are two special ceremonies that are held on the grounds of the imperial palace. During the first event , held on Jan. 2, the royal family greets well -wishers who come to welcome in the new year. The second event is held on Dec. 23, emperor's Akihito's birthday.

I have attended 4 of these events! I am a convinced republican so quite naturally I do not exactly get all worked up about seeing a king or an emperor. Yet I must confess that it is quite interesting to go and wave at the royal family . One nice thing about these events is that it gives "commoners" the chance to see parts of the imperial palace grounds that are closed to the public during the rest of the year. The atmosphere of these events is quite surreal. As you approach the palace, volunteers wearing green hats give you a small paper japanese flag that you are meant to wave at the royal family when they appear on a giant stage( The stage is covered with bullet proof glass on the three sides facing the people.) After you enter the palace grounds , you will pass through two security check points, and you will notice at least a hundred secret service types intently examining the thousands of people coming to see the emperor. After this you must walk for about 7 minutes to get to the previously mentioned stage. As you walk you will hear traditional Japanese classical music that emerges from giant speakers on about four sound trucks. Believe me you, it is quite an experience!