As you drive through it on the main highways, Tokyo isn’t the most attractive city. Drab buildings, of little architectural interest, stretch in all directions, and a hazy smog sits low over the city. It’s only when you see things closely that it starts to get interesting.
Our main objective was the east gardens of the Imperial Palace, where most of my preconceptions about what a Japanese garden would look like were confirmed. Shrubs closely trimmed and shaped, gave the garden a structure, little pools and running water, and gently curved bridges. There were no extravagant colours, just a range of greens and browns, but even in winter it was an attractive place. There is little that suggests this is a place waiting for the longer days and warmer weather of spring.
The Gardens contain the remains of Edo Castle, and the city that grew up around the castle was called Edo until 1868, when it was renamed Tokyo. Huge granite blocks make up those parts of the walls that still stand. The imperial family live in a much more modern building, in another part of the grounds and, as the current Emperor has currently no grandsons, there is a debate as to whether the law should be changed to allow female succession.