Emperor and Empress visit Hakone by train

[bikkuri bahn]

I have no particular interest in the comings and goings of royalty, but I find it refreshing that the Imperial couple occasionally use the rails to get to functions.  I surmise most world royalty would spurn such mundane transport for the helicopter or fully appointed limo.

 

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20100525dy01.htm

 

video:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/stream/m_news/vn100524_4.htm

[alpineaustralia]

They must be rail fans as well.

[Guest ___]

oooh, does that mean the 655 was running!?

[bill937ca]

The Emperor and Empress on the move in Tokyo.

 

[westfalen]

The Emperor and Empress on the move in Tokyo.

 

Interesting to note that apart from motorcycle cops in front and a couple of police cars bringing up the rear there seems to be no special precautions taken, the people on the streets seem to be going about their business as usual.

[miyakoji]

Interesting to note that apart from motorcycle cops in front and a couple of police cars bringing up the rear there seems to be no special precautions taken, the people on the streets seem to be going about their business as usual.

--particularly the guy in the distance at :24, checking out a... pachinko parlor?

[KenS]

Interesting to note that apart from motorcycle cops in front and a couple of police cars bringing up the rear there seems to be no special precautions taken, the people on the streets seem to be going about their business as usual.

 

I don't think that's quite true.  There are people in blue overcoats (police?) blocking traffic or watching on a couple of the side streets, and at least two people in suits who appear to be preventing pedestrians from crossing at the cross-walks (one, immediately in front of the camera, is equipped with a radio earpiece).

 

I expect the route is carefully planned, cleared in advance to make sure there are no suspicious vehicles, and in addition to the people on foot there are probably watchers (and possibly snipers) on some of the rooftops keeping an eye on the pedestrians and buildings that overlook the route. That's pretty much normal security for a head-of-state these days.

 

On the other hand, perhaps the Emperor warrants less security than a typical head of state.  I actually saw a motorcade for Emperor Hirohito in the U.S., back in the 70s, and there was plenty of advance notice of the route he'd be taking, and lots of people turned out to wave, but I didn't notice any significant security (then again, I was a teen at the time, and not really aware of such things).

 

oooh, does that mean the 655 was running!?

 

Probably not. Wikipedia has this to say in its Royal Train article:

 

"In the modern period, imperial trains are used less and less, as the current Emperor Akihito generally travels by air, or regular scheduled trains with a reserved carriage. Imperial trains are still operated occasionally, but they mainly function as a cordial reception for state guests, rather than transportation of the Imperial Family."

[bill937ca]

The police have far more control over society in Japan.  A beat policeman can just walk into any business or residence without a warrant. To refuse access would almost certainly be a loss of face in the eyes of community. Koban officers do census of their areas every 6 months and know who lives where and how many people live at an address. Koban officers also canvas business for "names" twice a year.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

"Officers assigned to koban have intimate knowledge of their jurisdictions. One of their primary tasks is to conduct twice-yearly house-by-house residential surveys of homes in their areas, at which time the head of the household at each address fills out a residence information card detailing the names, ages, occupations, business addresses, and vehicle registration numbers of household occupants and the names of relatives living elsewhere. Police take special note of names of the aged or those living alone who might need special attention in an emergency. They conduct surveys of local businesses and record employee names and addresses, in addition to such data as which establishments stay open late and which employees might be expected to work late. Participation in the survey is voluntary, and most citizens cooperate, but an increasing segment of the population has come to regard the surveys as invasions of privacy.

 

Information elicited through the surveys is not centralized but is stored in each police box, where it is used primarily as an aid to locating people. When a crime occurs or an investigation is under way, however, these files are invaluable in establishing background data for a case. Specialists from district police stations spend considerable time culling through the usually poorly filed data maintained in the police boxes."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_system_of_Japan

 

Another source on Japanese police.

 

http://www.guncite.com/journals/dkjgc.html

[cteno4]

on my trip to japan in 1984 i was walking around tokyo and decided to walk to tokyo tower from where i was (about 3 miles) and just started walking (easy to see where i needed to go). all of a sudden i was stopped by two policemen as there was a royal visit going on in the area i was walking through. apparently there was quite a bit of security in the area and they were a bit surprised/embarrassed that i turned up a few blocks in side the security perimeter before anyone saw me! They were very polite, but very concerned, but luckily when they asked for papers i had a special not form the consulate for the scientific meeting i was attending that said take very good care of this guy. they then were really nice about getting me out of the area with a quick ride in their jeep. did see quite a bit of security area then, but it was definitely mellow in appearance.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

Traveling in a car with open windows!