Tokyo

“Daijokyu,” a set of some 30 temporary halls for the “Daijosai” thanksgiving ceremony, to be performed by Japanese Emperor Naruhito on Thursday and Friday, was shown to the media on Wednesday.

The halls, built at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, include “Yukiden” and “Sukiden,” where the Emperor will carry out major rites. They were completed late last month.

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In the ceremony, Emperor Naruhito, who assumed the throne on May 1, will offer newly harvested grain to the gods in prayer for good crops and peace in the country. The “Yukiden-Kyosen-no-Gi” rite will start at 6:30pm Thursday (9:30am GMT), and “Sukiden-Kyosen-no-Gi” at 12:30am Friday.

The general public will be allowed to view the exteriors of Daijokyu halls between Nov. 21 and Dec. 8. The buildings will be dismantled later.

The interiors of the halls will not be disclosed. “As Daijosai is a closed event, we won’t show (the interiors of) the halls that may allow visitors to guess the content of the rite,” Yasuhiko Nishimura, deputy head of the Imperial Household Agency, said.

Jiji Press