Ride for the ambassador › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

PHOTO BY DAVID MACDONALD

Monday 22nd June, 07:10 AM JST

A newly-arrived ambassador is driven to the imperial palace to present his credentials to the emperor. It is a tradition for new ambassadors to be picked up from Tokyo Station either in a limousine or the carriage.

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polarmalik at 07:49 PM JST - 22nd June

A great idea - may I suggest that in future they should make the Ambassador dress-up in the ancient Japanese costume for the ceremony and the horse riders and other officials too should dress-up like the ancient Samurai Warriors. It is guaranteed to be a great tourist attraction - if I was the Ambassador I would most certainly do it. Farakh Malik
oberst at 08:29 PM JST - 22nd June

copy cat
noborito at 09:19 PM JST - 22nd June

Why not from the airport? o it is almost 100 miles away.
nandakandamanda at 09:23 PM JST - 22nd June

How do they get to Tokyo Station first?
Apsara at 09:46 PM JST - 22nd June

I am glad that you people who want to see such traditions abolished don't run the place. Which other old traditions would you like to see disappear? Festivals? Weddings? Christmas? What a boring place the world would be if we got rid of all the old traditions and ceremonies.
Sarge at 10:09 PM JST - 22nd June

"How do they get to Tokyo Station first?"

By limousine, of course.
Madara at 10:43 PM JST - 22nd June

Hiyaaa horsey!says the new ambassador....
NeoJamal at 10:48 PM JST - 22nd June

[quote]"How do they get to Tokyo Station first?"

By limousine, of course.[/quote]

BLASPHEMY! no public servant should afford to waste their precious tax payer money to run a limo through the Kanto Highway! Let me tell you how an upstanding ambassador would make his/her way into the Capital. First he will hop on a Sobu Rapid and if he encounters a frail old lady boarding the fully packed train at Shisui, he will give his seat up and stand all the way to Tokyo.
Sarge at 10:50 PM JST - 22nd June

NeoJamal - Har!
lolkittykitty at 10:55 PM JST - 22nd June

Now I know why the planes are taking off/landing like crazy every 3 minutes or so here in Chiba. Bansai to the new mysterious ambassador.

I know im a paranoid! lol!!!
usaexpat at 11:18 PM JST - 22nd June

Great picture though, I like it when traditions are preserved. The ambassador however would probably prefer an air conditioned limo however.
ThonTaddeo at 12:22 AM JST - 23rd June

I just showed this picture to my husband. His first question: "Which country's ambassador?"

"Gaikoku", of course. Did you want some finer distinction?
cosmo13 at 02:37 AM JST - 23rd June

(What a boring place the world would be if we got rid of all the old traditions and ceremonies.) I agree with that one
Fadamor at 03:49 AM JST - 23rd June

And I agree it doesn't matter which ambassador is inside the carriage considering almost no ambassador chooses the limo-option. You want to know which ambassador is inside? It's yours... or was at some time or another.

And for those of you complaining about the "European" look, blame your ancestors for imposing so many Western ideas on Japan back in the Meiji era.

Personally, I'm all for hanging onto whatever traditions you have left. If some people had their way, everybody in the world would only do things their way and no country would be unique.
PepinGalarga at 10:42 AM JST - 23rd June

Here is the "original" article in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokyo

"It is the privilege of each new ambassador arriving at the palace to hand in his accreditation to the emperor to be picked up from Tokyo Station either in a limousine or the carriage. Although the carriage is not as comfortable as the modern limousine, most chose the carriage."

Sound strikingly similar to the first draft here? Obviously i got too much free time on my hands rofl.