4. The westernization of Japan The westernization of Japan occured during the Meiji reform. The best place to visit to capture this history is the Meiji Mura in Chubu. However, I did not get a chance to visit this place. My friend, Sinichi Ishiguro, and his familiy accompanied me to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. The vast 6 floor museum, replete with a life-sized Meiji era building reconstructions gave me a sense of what it was like to be alive in that era. Dozens of lovingly crafted miniature diaoramas also depicted scenes of times long past.

This shrine is where the Emperor Meiji is buried.

This is the Main Hall of the Meiji Shrine. People here paid respocts to the Emperor Meiji.

A Row of Lanterns at the Entrance to Meiji Shrine with well-wishing signs

The imperial palace at Tokyo was not entirley open to the public, the current empoeror lives there. The imperial gardens , part of the imperial palace complex was open to the public. Here is the moat, across you can see one of the restricted buildings.

One of the many gates to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. This one was the entrance to the gardens, which also allows a visitor to see the old buildings of the original palace grounds. Where emperor Meiji Lived.

The old Prison inside the Tokyo Imperial Palace

There were 3 guard houses in the Imperial Palace. This was the last and most important of them, after a person passed through the first two, they mad to pass through this last stand. After this a person had access to the interior of the imperial palace. Today there are new guard gates located north of the old palace.