I walked along the Ring Route 1.
The loop line almost circles the Imperial Palace.
It’s not more than 10 km long, so I finished the walk in one go.
341 days until Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Station with the countdown clock
I found an Olympic countdown clock in front of the station!
There are 341 days left until the Tokyo Olympics, and 373 days until the Paralympics.
The official clock is Omega, isn’t it? I thought it was Seiko, but I guess Seiko’s high accuracy is well known, so there’s no need to advertise it now.
The tiles look like they are coated with squares because of the water sprinkling system in operation.
In order to be environmentally friendly, they use tap water repeatedly while filtering it.
Some people were walking around on the water, barefoot.
However, perhaps because it was sunny and too hot, I didn’t feel any coolness.
Bronze statue of Masaru Inoue
In the plaza, I found a statue!
I had passed by it many times before, but never noticed it.
It is a bronze statue of Mr. Masaru Inoue, who contributed to the establishment of the railroad. It was built in 1914.
The explanation was written in Chinese, so I could only understand about half of his achievements.
Tokyo Bankers Association Bldg.
I had a shocking experience at the Tokyo Bankers Association Building.
The west and south sides of the Bank of Tokyo Assembly Hall had been demolished.
It was one of my favorite buildings because of its elegant landscape.
The demolition started in 2016. What a shame.
The scenery of the city changes year by year, so I felt again that it is quite important to take snapshots while walking around like this.
Meiji Seimei Kan and Dai-ichi Seimei Kan
Wadakuramonogai Police Box
Today, I’m going to go around the Ring Route 1 in a clockwise direction from in front of Wadakuramonogai Police Station.
Water sprinkling system on Miyuki-dori Avenue
A water sprinkling system is also in operation next to the crosswalk on Miyuki-dori Avenue.
The road is said to have a water-retaining surface.
But it’s hot.
Meiji Seimei Kan, an important cultural property
This is the Meiji Seimei Kan, an important cultural property.
It was designed by brothers Shinichiro and Shogoro Okada. The building was completed in Showa 9 (1934), so it is newer than I thought. From the name “Meiji Seimei Kan,” I thought it was built in the Meiji era.
It was designated as an important cultural property in Heisei 9 (1997).
There may be another event in Reiwa 9 (2027).
Entrance to the Meiji Seimei Kan tour course
From here, I was able to enter the Meiji Seimei Kan and tour the inside. It’s free.
You are free to take pictures, but I won’t post them as I was told to enjoy them privately.
The main course was on the second floor, and the ceilings, walls, and furnishings were all very dignified.
When I asked a beautiful staff member if the building was currently in use, she told me that on weekdays, the first floor is used as a customer consultation center for Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance.
Equipment of unknown use
In front of the next building, I found a strange piece of equipment!
An antenna for communication? Vehicle speed sensors? A weather sensor? What could it be?
Dai-ichi Seimei Kan Entrance
I will now visit the gallery of the Dai-ichi Seimei Kan.
The Dai-ichi Seimei Kan was designed by Jin Watanabe and Yosaku Matsumoto. Among them, Jin Watanabe also designed Wako in Ginza.
There were several huge paintings hanging in the gallery.
However, I could not really understand the intentions of the artists, as the pictures were very modern.
Dai-ichi Seimei Kan is also famous for being ingested by GHQ.
There was a notice that the MacArthur Memorial Room could not be visited due to a special alert, but in normal times, could it be visited? By the way, a special alert for what?
Discover the British Embassy in Japan
Hibiya intersection
Turn right at the intersection of Hibiya.
Site of Hibiya Mitsuke
From the road, I could see into Hibiya Park, and there I found the remains of Hibiya Mitsuke!
I wonder if they used to stand on top of this to keep watch?
There are still traces of Mitsuke here and there in Tokyo. This one looks to be in a good state of preservation, with its carefully laid stones.
Red Brick Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
You can see the entire red brick building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the east.
It looks like a foreign palace.
Behind it is the Metropolitan Police Department.
Outer Sakuradamon (gate)
I had never been through Sakuradamon before, so I decided to stop by today.
This gate is technically called Soto-Sakuradamon, and Kikyo-mon is also called Uchi-Sakuradamon.
I was expecting to enter the Imperial Palace through this gate, but instead I found myself in the outer garden.
Ruins of Ii Naosuke’s Residence
Back on Uchibori Street, just past the intersection in front of the Diet, I found the remains of the residence of Ii Kaminokami. This is the so-called residence of Ii Naosuke.
Ii Naosuke was attacked by the Mito clan warriors on his way to the outer Sakuradamon gate.
It is often said that Japanese people are precise about the start time, but not about the end time.
Perhaps the Japanese in the past also had to work overtime and could not determine their end time, so they targeted the time of work.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court.
I don’t know the point where I can take a good picture.
Do I have to go inside the grounds to get a good shot?
Joglis entrance
I found Joglis, the base for the Imperial Palace run!
Yes, that’s right. I’ve always wondered where people who run lightly changed their clothes, and today I found the answer.
Hanzomon
There are also many security guards at Hanzomon.
I wonder if they are on special alert.
I don’t think there are any dignitaries here, but they may be on their way.
School?
A walled compound appeared.
Is it a school with a long history?
British Embassy in Japan
I found the British Embassy in Japan!
The walled compound was not a school, but an embassy. It was built in 1929. That makes it 90 years old. It’s majestic and splendid. I’d like to visit Europe at least once in my lifetime.
Shimizu Gate, Hirakawa Gate and Otemon Gate
Yasukuni Shrine
Further north, you will hit the Yasukuni Shrine.
This is the highest point on the first ring road. Turn right here.
Showa Museum
Going down Kudan-zaka, I came across the Showa Museum.
The Showa era is becoming more and more distant in the age of Reiwa, but this is a museum that you should visit at least once to learn about the hardships of the war and postwar period.
Main office building of the Chiyoda Ward Office
Turn right at the intersection of Kudanshita and the main office building of the Chiyoda Ward Office is about 300 meters away. There are also several joint government buildings.
The Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau is located in the second of these buildings.
I once came to this Legal Affairs Bureau to get a “Certificate of Non-Registration” when I applied for registration of a certain qualification. This is an unfamiliar certificate, isn’t it?
Shimizu Gate
With the government building in the background, I found the Shimizu Gate. It is a national important cultural property.
Crape myrtle
As I came to Takebashi Bridge, I found a crape myrtle in bloom! It didn’t seem like a color you would see very often, but I guess not.
Hirakawa Bridge
About 150 meters past the Takebashi Bridge, I found a wooden bridge! It is the Hirakawa Bridge.
At the end of this bridge is the Hirakawa Gate. It was the main gate to the San-no-maru area of Edo Castle, and at the same time, it was also the ” Demon Gate ” of Edo Castle, so it was also called the ” Unholy Gate “.
It seems that there are many gates from the north to the east, while there is only Hanzomon on the west side of the Imperial Palace.
Intersection of Otemon
There is another gate at the intersection of Otemon.
Turn left here and head east.
Monument to the Birthplace of the Nippon Dental University
Near the intersection with Hibiya Street, I found a stone monument marking the birthplace of the Japan Dental University!
The inscription says that it was the first dental school in Japan.
The Nippon Dental University owns the “Museum of Medicine” in Niigata City. It is free of charge and seems to be a worthwhile museum, so if I have a chance to go there, I would love to visit it.
View of Tokyo Station from Miyuki-dori Avenue
I finally made it back to Tokyo Station.
Walking along the Ring Route 1 this time, I realized that there are many things to see and do.
Even if I took a foreigner on a day-long walk, I would be able to show him or her the charms of Japan from many different angles. That is, if the foreigner can walk nearly 10 kilometers…
Walking data
Course: JR Yamanote Line Tokyo Station -> Ring Route 1 -> JR Yamanote Line Tokyo Station
Distance: 9.4km
Time: 2h25m
