Since the 3/11 earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima incident happened last year, I've often heard that now is the third turning point for Japan in the past 150 years. The second one was when Japan lost the Second World War. The first one was the Meiji Restoration (Meiji-ishin /明治維新 in Japanese) in 1868. Have you ever heard of it? I'll describe it briefly.
In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康）ruled Japan and started the Tokugawa Shogunate (Tokugawa bakufu /徳川幕府) at the Edo Castle (Edo-jo /江戸城) in Tokyo. The successive Tokugawa Shoguns ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration happened in 1868. This period is called the Edo Era (Edo-jidai/江戸時代). In 1639, the Tokugawa Shogunate closed Japan to foreign commerce. This national isolation policy lasted until the Treaty of Amity and Commerce (or the Harris Treaty) between Japan and the US was signed in 1854. Around this time, Japan was turbulent and chaotic because the samurai, Japanese warriors, had differing opinions over the issue of how to deal with the pressures from some Western countries for Japan to open up the nation. Eventually, the Meiji Restoration (Meiji-Ishin) happened in 1868. Although the restoration enabled Japan to shift to the status of a modern nation, ordinary people of the time just saw it as a shift of power from the Tokugawa Shoguns to the samurai from Satsuma (薩摩, which is currently Kagoshima Prefecture) and Choshu (長州, which is currently Yamaguchi Prefecture). After the restoration, the Emperor Meiji moved the aforementioned Edo Castle in Tokyo from Kyoto, which had been the Imperial capital for more than a thousand years. Now, what was once Edo Castle is referred to as the Imperial Palace (Koukyo/皇居), and the Emperor and Empress reside there. On top of that, various ceremonies are held there. Some areas of the Palace are open to the public.
Recently, I've been reading some books related to the times around 1868 since I have had this era on my mind. As I expected, the more I learn about this period, the more deeply I can understand the current situation in Japan.
By the way, the Imperial Palace is well known as a great site to view sakura (cherry blossoms). When I went there on the 8th and 13th of April, I took pictures of sakura.
From the first to the fourth: Somei-Yoshino, a popular kind of sakura, were in full bloom on the 8th of April.
The fifth: Sakura and the Tokyo Tower (the red building).
The sixth: Somei-Yoshino, a popular kind of sakura, were falling and scattering on the 13th of April.
From the seventh to the last: Yaezakura, another popular kind of Sakura, were in full bloom.
