皇居外周ーthe perimeter of the Imperial Palace (Jan.2019-No.2)

2.皇居外周ーthe perimeter of the Imperial Palace, most famous jogging cource

Kokyo, the Imperial Palace in Japan is located in the heart of Tokyo near JR Tokyo Station. The present Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko live there. The Imperial Palace was former Edo Castle reconstructed by Tokugawa Ieyasu(the founder of Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1867)) in the early 17th century. In 1869 Emperor Meiji was transferred from Kyoto to Tokyo, and then Edo Castle has been called the Imperial Palace. Most Japanese people respect Emperor and Empress so much.

There are some well maintained parks and gardens in the Imperial Palace. Higashi Gyoen Garden(Japanese style garden), Chidorigahuchi Park(especially cherry blossoms in spring), and Kitanomaru Park(a large and calm park, but many fat crows are there) are well known.

When you stroll the perimeter of the palace, you find not a few people including non-Japanese jogging on the footway. They are probably office workers near here. The jogging course is 5km round, and no traffic signal are there. All joggers go anticlockwise orderly on the footway. I hear this is the most famous jogging course In Japan.

Recently sunny days are continuing in Tokyo, but the maximum temperature is about 10 degrees C, so cold and dry.

moats and stone walls of Edo Castle

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