I attended Emperor Naruhito’s New Year Greeting event at the Imperial Palace on January 2, 2025 to photograph him for the first time. He’d been on the throne for six years, but this was my first time seeing him. I had only shot his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito.
This time marked my return to the event after a long break. The pandemic prevented it twice and the Noto earthquake forced its cancellation in 2024. In 2020 and 2023 I decided to attend the falconry event at Hamarikyu Gardens.
Starting early to beat the crowds
I got up at 6 a.m. to go early and beat the crowds. A good plan, no? Well, that was overly optimistic. I left Tokyo Station, and I was crushed. Loads of people were walking towards the Imperial Palace with me. In future, I’ll be up at 5 a.m.
Imperial New Year greetings are popular
As we stood in the plaza of Chowaden Hall, waiting for the New Year Greeting, it struck me how simple the event was. The Emperor and his family appear on the balcony for a few minutes to offer blessings for the nation’s health and peace.
This tradition is clearly popular, judging by the thousands of us gathered here.
Well, it’s popular. For his first appearance on 2 January 2025, 13000 people from all walks of life were there. Families had come. Many foreigners were there. Of course, there were the right-wingers, too. The Emperor pulls a big, diverse crowd.
Security at the Imperial Palace
Security was on high alert. It was everywhere. The Tokyo riot police brought plenty of their blue buses. Plain-clothed and uniformed police scanned the crowd looking for potential trouble. Even the dog squad was in attendance.
With no baggage, I got through the security check quickly. I was early, but had to wait an hour for the gates to open.
That happened at 9:30, and the crowd and I proceeded inside. We passed over two bridges, Meganebashi (Eyeglasses Bridge) and Nijubashi. Finally, we got into the plaza in front of Chowaden Hall.
Seeing the Emperor: Crowd response
The event never changes. Everyone moves in, and the police guide you where to go. Japanese media occupy a platform at the rear. Everyone waits quietly for the Emperor to appear. The crowd goes wild when he appears.
Emperor Naruhito appeared at 10.10. A series of “Tennouheika Banzai” (Hooray for the Emperor) went up from the crowd, and the forest of flags made one thing clear. The affection for Emperor Naruhito in the crowd was immense.
Get lenses for the situation
As I raised my camera, the limitation of my 24-105mm lens became painfully obvious. The Emperor was a small figure in my viewfinder, and I knew instantly I’d be cropping heavily to get a usable shot. I need something longer for this type of event.
In retrospect, this problem was of my own making. When you enter the plaza in front of Chowaden Hall, you must follow the crowd. Unfortunately, I was at the back of the crowd. But you have the option of staying for the Emperor’s next New Year Greeting appearance.
In retrospect, I should have waited after this first speech and the crowd would have left, leaving me (and others who chose to remain) space to move up getting a closer image. Unfortunately, I left as I had other things I needed to do.
New Year Greeting 2025 & departure
Naruhito’s wife, Masako, and daughter, Aiko, were with him along with his brother and some of his family. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and his wife Michiko were also on the balcony for the New Year Greeting.
It was good to see Former Empress Michiko, who is ninety years old. She underwent surgery for a broken femur in October. Reports said she attended the event without a cane. She looked in good health.
Once things quietened down, the Emperor made his speech. He spoke of his concerns for the people of Noto, who were hit by an earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024. He also wished for 2025 to be a peaceful year and prayed for happiness at home and abroad.
And that was it! It was over in a flash. Once the Emperor left the balcony, everyone exited through various gates.
One sea of people would be replaced by another as the event was repeated another four times. It was a good experience, well worth the early start and the crush of the crowd.
Final thoughts & my future goals
If you are a royalty fan, the Emperor’s New Year Greeting should be on your list. You can get close enough to the Emperor for photos.
My next goal is to get a 70-200mm lens to get even better photos. I’m not there yet, but I’m determined to have it in my camera bag for the next time! To learn more about the venue, read [Tokyo Imperial Palace].
