Tokyo Imperial Palace

Tokyo Imperial Palace. Written by Eleanor Frost. Focus Question. What is Tokyo's Imperial Palace, and why is it an important landmark?

《东京皇居》，作者：埃莉诺·弗罗斯特。 核心问题：东京皇居是什么？为什么它是重要的地标呢？

A peaceful place. The city of Tokyo is very busy and modern. The Imperial Palace sits in the middle of that city. It is a peaceful place. The emperor and empress of Japan live there.

一个宁静的地方。 东京城十分热闹，也很现代化。 皇居就坐落在东京的市中心。 它是一处宁静的所在。 日本的天皇和皇后就居住在这里。

Where is it? Tokyo is on the east coast of Japan. The Imperial Palace lies in the heart of Tokyo. It is near the Japanese National Theater and Tokyo Disneyland.

它在哪里呢？ 东京位于日本的东海岸。 皇居坐落在东京的中心地带。 它毗邻日本国立剧场和东京迪士尼乐园。

History of the Palace A castle has stood on the site of the Imperial Palace for hundreds of years. In the early 1600s, a powerful lord built a grand castle called Eddo Castle there. Sadly, its beautiful main tower burned down in 1657. Visitors can still see the stone base of that tower on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.

皇居的历史 数百年来，皇居所在的位置一直矗立着一座城堡。 17世纪初，一位有权势的藩主在这里建造了宏伟的江户城。 可惜的是，1657年，它漂亮的主塔楼被烧毁了。 游客们如今仍能在皇居园区里看到那座塔楼的石基。

In the 1800s, the emperor decided to move his home to the site of Edo Castle. He ordered workers to build a new palace there. They finished building the new imperial palace in 1888. The new palace looked Japanese on the outside. Inside, though, there were many European decorations and furniture.

19世纪，天皇决定把居所搬到江户城的旧址。 他下令工匠们在这里建造一座新的宫殿。 1888年，新皇居建造完工。 新宫殿的外观是日式风格。 不过宫殿内部摆放了很多欧式的装饰和家具。

During World War II, the United States bombed the area around the palace. The palace was made of wood, so it was damaged by fires. After the war, Japan built the palace again. This time, workers used cement instead of wood. They finished in 1968. The building we can see today looks very much like it did before the war.

二战期间，美军轰炸了皇居周边区域。 当时的皇居是木质结构，因此被火灾损毁。 战争结束后，日本重建了皇居。 这次工匠们用水泥代替了木材来建造。 重建工程于1968年完工。 我们现在看到的皇居外观和战前的几乎一模一样。