When his Majesty the Heavenly Sovereign of Japan, also known by non-Japanese speakers as Akihito1, celebrates his birthday, he does not take his people for fools. Not only the 23rd of December, the day of his birth in 1933, has been a day-off in Japan since he has become Emperor in 1989, but he also opens his residence, the Imperial Palace or Kōkyo in Japanese, to thousands of curious people. Moreover, he takes that event as an opportunity to make some public apparitions from his balcony and to pronounce a speech.
Since his Current Majesty, his other official title, came to the throne, after being enthrone as Crown Prince in 1951, his birthday has become a day-off. He is the 125th Emperor of Japan, from the line of descent Yamato which has reigned over Japan since -660 BC... a lenght which makes it the oldest dynasty ruling a country in the world. For a long time a sacred and important political character, the Emperor of Japan has a function of representation, as the Queen of England for instance. The Emperor lost all his political power and also his status of « Living God » in 1945. Nowadays, he is recognized as the Head of Japanese State by the other states and he is the symbole of the State and of the unicity of Japanese people.
Venered by his people, symbole of the traditionnal Japan, his statut appears to change, to modernize, little by little. Indead, the current Emperor is the first of the Japanese Emperors who received an education outside the Imperial Palace's compound, because of the Post War 1945 and the new opening-up of Japan on Occident which left a mark on his childhood. Akihito is also the first Emperor who married with a commoner, Michiko Shōda, who has become Empress Michiko of Japan. Later, the couple decided to bring up his childs, without the help of a preceptor. These choices create some debates even though they show a modernisation of the Emperor's function. However, this is a progressive modernisation as we were able to see it at the beginning of the 2000s while there was not any male heir: shall Japan let women come to the throne, while it is still forbidden by the 2nd Article of the Constitution of 1889 ? This debate finally ends in 2007 without a real political answer, after the birth of the Prince Hisahito, grandson of Akihito, in 2006, which postponed this debate about the absence of a male heir.
Far from this political considerations, the 23rd of December is a festive day in Japan which let Japanese people but also (and above all...) foreigners see their Emperor and access the Imperial Palace's gardens, while most of them are closed during the year. In this day-off, the several visitors can pass the Nijubashi Bridge and enter the compound of the Palace. This opening happens only twice a year: on the 23rd of December, as we have already said, and on the 2nd of January, to celebrate the New Year.
On this 23rd of December 2010, the Palace was open between 9:30 and 11:20 only, with three programmed apparitions of the Emperor around 10:20, 11:00 and 11:40. After some safety verifications, between bag and body's search, many meters covered almost running while being pushed by the policemen, we arrived to the famous Nijubashi Bridge. On the other side, the compound of the Palace and a huge square. People enter it slowly, caring Japanese flags distributed previously by the staff. The order is necessary and the number of policemen large: it seems complicated to imagine some deviant behavior. Moreover, the Medias are omnipresent in front of the Imperial balcony on the other side of the square: an incident could really give a negative image of the Emperor and of Japan.
The time of Emperor's apparition finally comes and he is really punctual: at 10:20, as it was expected, he appears, welcomed by applause. The crowd is waving its flags while he is greeting those who have come to celebrate his birthday. However, there isn't any cake. On the menu, a plain speech of thanks and of cheerings for the year to come. It is surprisingly short for a political speech and the crowd, who is silencious, makes disappear the flags, while he is speaking. Once his last words are pronounced and the Happy New Year wished, flags appear again during a short while, as a « Good Bye ».
It's already finished. Arrived at 10 in the Palace, we left at 10:45: the Emperor disappears and policemen are making the crowd to leave the square and leading it to the exit, which are the East Garden of the Imperial Palace... those which are opened all the year. But, as they are beautiful, calm, and even if we have already seen them, we do not hesitate to visite them again, as they are constantly changing, thanks to the seasons and the changing colors of the leaves... Thinking that these gardens are only the anteroom of the Imperial estate, it is a pity to reserve such a garden only to the relatives and the people close to the Emperor. Above all as this « Public Opening » is a little disappointing: if I will be able to pride myself on having see the Emperor for real, I did not see very well his Palace and his Estate. But this is how it works. There exist some priviledges that are not going to disappear soon... and with a Prince of only 4 years, it seems difficult to think about marriage to become Empress.
So, the Emperor will just keep his Palace and his private gardens... and we will just look at Tokyo from the ground and not from a balcony. A seductive plan too, isn't it ?
Marièke POULAT
*****
1Even if it is usual to call the Emperor Akihito in Occident, it is considered as a lack of respect in Japan.
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