Imperial Palace: Serendipity in Tokyo; Palácio Imperial em Tóquio; القصر الإمبراطوري في طوكيو; 皇居東京

An international blogging collaboration.  (See English entry below, 以下に日本語) 

Rodrigo Silva writes:  OLÁ HOJE O DIA FOI MUITO BOM JONATHAN ME FALO SOBRE O PALÁCIO IMPERIAL EM TOKYO. AI CHAMEI UM AMIGO "YASSER" DO EGITO... FOI UM POUCO DIFÍCIL POIS EU NÃO FALO INGLÊS E MUITO MENOS EGÍPCIO! HAHAH MAIS CONSEGUI EXPLICA QUE EU ESTAVA CHAMANDO ELE PARA IR COMIGO AO PALÁCIO IMPERIAL! ENTÃO FOMOS ANDANDO E TIRANDO FOTOS ATÉ ENCONTRARMOS "JONATHAN" COM UMA AMIGA JAPONESA FOI MUITO ENGRAÇADO POQUE NÃO ESPERÁVAMOS.VER ELE LÁ NO PALÁCIO MAIS FOI MUITO BOM!! FICAMOS TODOS JUNTOS POR ALGUNS MINUTOS E NOS SEPARAMOS DE NOVO. E POR CONHECIDÊNCIA NOS ENCONTRAMOS DE NOVO NA HORA QUE ESTÁVAMOS INDO EMBORA. AI TIRAMOS FOTOS JUNTOS E JONATHAN FOI ACOMPANHA SUA AMIGA E EU E YESSER VOLTAMOS PARA SAKURA HAUSE!!!
ver fotos abaixo

Yasser Kamal writes of the day: النهاردة قمت بزيارة الي القصر الامبراطوري بطوكيو وكان معايا رودريكو من البرازيل والجميل في الرحلة أني قابلت واحد من أفضل أصدقائي بالصدفة اسمه جوناثان من أمريكا وهو مقيم معايا في نفس الغرفة وأتصورنا سوا في وسط مجموعة من الأشجار والجميل أنه كان في احتفال عاملينه مجموعة من البنات اليابانيين وشاركت معاهم لأنهم كانوا بيعملوا عروض للزوار وأتمني البقاء لفترة طويلة، وزيارة أماكن أكثر.

انظر الصور أدناه

Hiromi writes: こんにちは！今日は朝から良い天気！春の気配！
今日は楽しみにしていた英会話のレッスンの日！Facebookに英会話に行ってくると書き残し、先生に会いに待ち合わせ場所へ。今日のレッスンの場所は皇居。なんだかピクニックみたいでウキウキ！
レッスンに丁度良い静かなベンチを探していると、なんと！先生のルームメイトに偶然、遭遇！
前回のレッスンのときに聞いていたエジプト人のルームメイトYasser。そしてベンチを探しながら聞いていた新しいルームメイト、ブラジル人のRodrigo。素晴らしいサプライズ！二人ともそして先生も笑顔が素敵。優しさが笑顔から伝わってくる！日本人も見習わなければ！！！
すぐに二人と別れレッスン開始。英語の発音は、、む、難しい、、。TH？？R？舌がもつれる！！もっと練習しないと、、。そして楽しいレッスンが終わり駅へと歩いていると、なんと向こうからさっき別れたYasserとRodrigoが！嬉しいサプライズがもう一度！彼らの国の言葉を教わったり、皇居の掃除に来ていたボランティアの女子学生と写真を撮ったり、短い時間だったけどとっても素晴らしい時間でした！！1年ぶりの皇居は変わらず素敵な場所でした。おとずれる度に心が穏やかになる神聖な雰囲気の場所です。そして新しい想い出が出来てさらに特別な場所になりました。

下の写真をご覧ください。

J. writes: Finally, a warm day in Tokyo, full of adventure with friends new and old. After my morning English lessons (teacher, not student: for all you wisenheimers out there), I hurried over to meet my student, Hiromi, for a private English lesson. This week, depending on the weather, we had decided to meet at the Imperial Palace and find a quiet place to sit down and have a lesson. The weather cooperated. Beautiful, sunny, and just enough flowers blooming to remind us that spring is near. During our hunt for the ever elusive free-roaming park bench, Hiromi and I happened to find a pair of dear friends along the way. My new Brazilian roommate Rodrigo, and my dear friend and good roommate, Yasser of Egypt. We all had a good laugh over the good fortune and impossible odds of actually meeting serendipitously midday in midtown Tokyo. I introduced Yasser and Rodrigo to Hiromi then sent them on their way to enjoy a nap on the Imperial lawn while Hiromi and I tracked down an open bench on a quiet footpath and had a pleasant hour-long lesson.

 

From Left to Right: Yasser (Egypt), Hiromi (Japan), Jonathan (USA), Rodrigo (Brazil). In front of the Imperial Palace on a sunny Spring afternoon in Tokyo.

After Hiromi and I finished our lesson, not even 30 seconds later, we ran into these "good-for-nothings" again. The four of us rounded the corner at the same moment like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail. I was so completely flabbergasted by such random luck that I ran and gave Yasser a giant bear-hug. (Yeah it was THAT crazy of a day). On our way out of the park we ran into a group of volunteers who had finished raking up the Imperial lawn. A group of teenage girls was elected to entertain 100 or so other volunteers. We happened upon this wonderment and Yasser was asked to join in, to the delight of everyone including ourselves.

I can't think of a better ending to a phenomenal day. :-D

P.S. After work tonight, we have all agreed to share Rodrigo's bottle of 51, Brazilian 80 proof rum (cachaça) which we are to drink with fresh lemons and sugar. My last lesson of the night can't finish soon enough!!