A government-hosted “Showa 100th Anniversary Ceremony,” marking a full century since the first year of Showa, was held on Showa Day, April 29, at Nippon Budokan. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended, joined by the prime minister and other heads of the three branches of government and representatives from many fields—about 5,600 people in all.
At this milestone the government is carrying out a range of programs “to look back on an era of upheaval and reconstruction and to think about the future.” In the annex of the Honmaru rest house in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Household Agency is now presenting “Showa 100 Years: Landscapes of the East Gardens Before They Opened.” Comparing photographs of various spots taken more than 60 years ago with images from today, the agency says it hopes visitors will “enjoy both lost landscapes and those that have not changed.”
The 12 sites on view include the remains of the Otemon watari-yagura, destroyed in wartime air raids, and the reconstructed watari-yagura restored when the East Gardens opened, as well as the Doshin-bansho and Hyakunin-bansho guardhouses, the keep foundation, and Hirakawa Korai-mon. The exhibition runs through December 24. Admission is free.