Day of Royalty

{striking Imperial Grounds}

We had tentatively planned for a day trip to Nikko, but with gray skies and the sniffles, we opted for staying local to visit the Imperial Palace and the surrounding area here in Tokyo. Excluding the East Gardens, the grounds of the Palace are off limits to common folk outside of December 23rd and January 2nd. Although I'm sure it would be a great adventure to visit the Palace on one of those days and be part of the madness that surely ensues, our trip there was enjoyable just the same.

I had already noticed the abundance of flowers that continue to bloom even with the cold temperatures in Tokyo, but walking around the gardens I became even more aware of their presence.

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Knowing how frigid and snowy it has been at home, I feel kind of guilty talking about flowers in bloom in January, but hopefully the pictures below will add a little brightness to your day.

{on our walk to the Imperial Palace}

{citrus tree}

{the door leading to the Gardens}

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I can't wait to do it all again with the cherry blossoms at their peak in a couple of months!