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An autumn walk in the Imperial Palace
An autumn walk in the Imperial Palace is one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy looking inside the enormous residence of Japan’s emperor. And that is something you can’t do every day. So in November 2022, I jumped at the chance when I saw the notice on the internet. I left with some pretty good photos.
The Imperial Household Agency allowed the public in from November 26 to December 4. They could walk from the Sakashita Gate along Inui Street to the Inui Gate. It was about a distance of 750 meters.
For most people, that would take about 10 minutes. Well, I was there with a purpose. I wanted to photograph the autumn leaves of my walk in the imperial palace. It took me nearly an hour.
I got in around 9:20 and left at 10:10, so it was nearly one hour. In total, I got over 600 pictures. My time there was well spent. And I photographed everything I wanted, namely Fujimi Keep. I like shooting with the Marunouchi buildings behind. That scene always looks spectacular, even on a cloudy day.
And it was a cloudy day. There was no sun or blue sky anywhere for my walk in the Imperial Palace. And maybe I should have been thankful for that because there were so few people on the street. It was also a weekday, which might have been another reason.
It was nice to see Inui Street so empty. With few people there, I could take photos that weren’t possible in previous years. I just wandered through, taking my time. Luckily, the palace guards didn’t ask us to move along.
It was good to take all the photos I had planned. If I had missed something, I would have had to walk around the palace to the Sakashita gate and start again. Why? Because foot traffic on Inui Street was only one-way. You couldn’t go back. Don’t forget anything! That would have been costly.
Entry to the autumn walk in the Imperial Palace
Getting in was easy. All you needed to do was follow the arrows to the entrance area. Once you were there, one tent gave you a temperature check. The others were security checks, one for bags and a metal detector.
Tip for easier entry
If you don’t have any bags, you can skip one part of the security check. That could save you a lot of time if you went to this event on a weekend when crowds can be huge.
Try to keep moving
During peak times, Inui Street can get crowded. So if you stay in one place for too long, palace security might ask you to move on to keep foot traffic moving. Keep this in mind if you plan to take lenses for every occasion.
Conclusion
For royalty fans, an autumn walk in the Imperial Palace is great. You can get a glimpse of what is inside, and that is a rare treat. Try to go on a weekday when there should be fewer people. I can’t wait to go again. The event should be back in 2023.
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