The Emperor's Birthday
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The Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日, Ten'nō tanjōbi) is a public holiday in Japan. It is currently celebrated on December 23rd. The date is determined by the present Emperor's birth date. Emperor Akihito was born on this date in 1933.
During the reign of Hirohito (Showa Period, 1926-1989), the Emperor's birthday was observed on April 29th, which still remains a public holiday, having been renamed, following his death, "Greenery Day".
Previous to World War II, it was called Tenchōsetsu, but after the war the new government renamed it Tennō tanjōbi, or "The Emperor's Birthday", in 1948, when it was established as a holiday by law.
On December 23rd, a public ceremony takes place at the Imperial Palace which, usually off limits to the public, opens its gates. The Emperor accompanied by the Empress of Japan and several other members of the royal family appear three times between 10am and 11:30am on a palace balcony protected by bulletproof glass to acknowledge the birthday congratulations of crowds of festive well wishers waving tiny Japanese flags. This event along with Ippan Sanga on January 2nd are the only two occasions in the year when the general public are permitted to enter the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace.
To enter the inner grounds of the palace on December 23, you have to stand in line at designated areas across the street from the palace. The huge, graveled plaza where you can see Nijubashi Bridge is closed off by police. At the designated time, they guide you to the palace grounds. Admission is free, and they also give you a free paper Japanese flag. First they check your bags and frisk your body (policewomen do it for the women) for weapons. Also, no food and drinks can be taken into the palace.
Then you stand in line near the famous Nijubashi Bridge, the symbol of the palace. At 9:30 am, they allow the first group of people to cross Nijubashi Bridge and enter the plaza in front of the balcony where the Emperor will appear. At 10:20 am, the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince (and normally the Crown Princess if she is feeling well), Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, and Princess Nori appear on the balcony and wave to the crowd who wave paper Japanese flags and shout "Banzai!"
When the Emperor speaks, the crowd falls silent. After the Emperor finishes his very brief greeting, the crowd starts waving the flags again and the Imperial Family wave back. They appear for only three minutes. The crowd is then directed to the exit. Most of them scatter and take a walk around the East Garden of the palace which includes the remains of the castle donjon. Meanwhile, the next group is led into the palace.
The visiting crowds are usually made up of significantly older portions of the Japanese population, as national interest in the Emperor has been on the wane since the end of World War II. Quite a few foreigners also attend. Occasionally, Uyoku, organized groups of right-wing ultra-nationalists, park nearby with vans that blast militaristic slogans over a loudspeaker.