Day with the Aritas

A few days ago I had a day with the Aritas. There isn't much time left for me in Japan so they wanted to spend some time with me before I left. So I went with Mrs. Arita to see the Emperor's Palace. The Emporer acts much like the Queen of England. He is no longer a significant figure of the government, but his royalty is still respected in Japan. Of course, you







Just as we were arriving at the entrance to the Emporer's Palace, the Emporer and Empress were actually leaving in a long line of black, guarded limosines and police motorcycles. I was told that they rarely ever leave the palace. This was an extremely special occasion and I was there for it. Even very few Japanese get to see the royal couple. So it was impecible timing that we arrived when we did. Mrs. Arita was thrilled. We were told that they were going to see a doctor. Apparently the Emporer, who is in his 70s is having some health issues. And then we were told they would be coming back to the palace around 1PM. Of course, Mrs. Arita wanted to come back and bring Mr. Arita. The video on the top is of them leaving and the on the bottom is of them returning to the palace. In the returning video you can just barely see the Emporer and Empress waving from their car.






Later we went to a few famous spots in Japan. The street pictured below is lined with ginko trees that were planted in 1927. It's a beautiful place to stop for a drink at a cafe.



Then the Aritas took me on a sunset dinner cruise in the Tokyo Bay. We had a really nice time and some really delicious French cuisine. Everything we did this day was new for all of us. The Aritas had never seen the Emporer in person, they had never gone to the ginko tree street or been on this cruise. It was a great time of firsts for all.