Autumn Opening of Inui Street to the Imperial Palace to the Public①
I went to the Autumn Open Day of the Imperial Palace Inui Street.
I took the 9:31 train from Fujimidai Station to Shinkiba and arrived at Sakuradamon Station at 10:13. It’s convenient because you can get a seat on the direct line.
Once you get on the train, you’ll see the stairs leading to the Imperial Palace.
When I got outside, a policeman said, “The entrance to Sakashitamon Gate is restricted to Sakuradamon Gate.” I didn’t really understand what he meant, so I headed towards Sakuradamon Gate. There weren’t many people on the left.
I got inside and understood what he meant.
A lot of people were pouring in from the direction of Tokyo Station and Yurakucho Station.
It seemed like the right way to come was from Sakuradamon Gate.
There were lanes ① to ④, and I was guided to line up in ①.
Many media helicopters were flying in the cloudless blue sky.
How long would the line be?
Everyone was walking with a relaxed atmosphere, so I felt like I was on a picnic.
I could see the Nijubashi Bridge on my left.
After passing Nijubashi Bridge, we saw a line of people in lane 4.
A police officer told us to get closer in line, so we stopped moving as we closed the gap between us and the person in front of us.
People were being guided to the adjacent lane 2.
After that, a police officer came round and carefully explained the next steps.
After the people in lane 4 went inside, the people in lane 1 headed to the baggage inspection area.
Please open your bag and show it to the officer.
After that, there will be a body check.
The body check will check that you do not have knives or other objects in your pockets.
If you are not carrying any baggage, you can proceed to the body check from the left end of the baggage inspection area without being checked.
There is a meeting place up ahead, so if you get separated, you can wait there.
Once inside, there will be another line in front of Sakashita Gate. That’s the explanation.
Baggage inspection area: It took about 20 minutes from the time we lined up to get here.
Body check: Male police officers will greet men, and female police officers will greet women with a friendly attitude.
This is the meeting place. You can see the queue in front of Sakashita Gate in the background.
Buildings and people are lined up in an orderly fashion.
New buildings are being erected one after another, creating a cityscape that can be proud of around the world.
Finally, Sakashita Gate comes into view.
Here again, you can see people in lane ④ ahead on the left.
We have arrived at Sakashita Gate.
It has been 40 minutes since we started queuing, but thanks to the skillful guidance, the time didn’t feel timeless. This is getting long, so let’s continue with Autumn Opening of Inui Street to the Public at the Imperial Palace ②.
