Tayasu-mon and the Budokan

You're at Tayasu-mon, the oldest gate still standing in the palace's outer gardens. An inscription on its door fittings dates it to 1636. Like many castle gates, it is really two: a low outer gate, then a sharp turn to a taller gate set at a right angle. Attackers would have been caught in between. Beyond the gate rises a very different building, the Nippon Budokan. It opened in 1964, built for the judo contests of the Tokyo Olympics, the first time judo was part of the Games. Two years later it hosted something new. In the summer of 1966, the Beatles played five short concerts here, the first rock band ever to perform in the hall. Not everyone was pleased. Critics argued that a Western pop group would defile a hall built for the martial arts, and right-wing protesters made their anger known. The concerts went ahead, and the Budokan has hosted music ever since. So as you pass through, think of the two kinds of visitors this gate has seen: samurai in the 1600s, and Beatles fans in 1966.