KYOTO — When the Imperial family moved to Tokyo at the
beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, after more than a millennium in Kyoto, many in the ancient capital were convinced the
Emperor was just embarking on a
long visit and would someday return.
Now, more than 140
years later, Kyoto's top political and business leaders are working to have
at least some members of the Imperial family take up residence here again.
The reasons have
less to do with romantic dreams of the past and more to do with modern concerns ranging from safety
from natural disasters to the strengthening of Kyoto's role domestically and
abroad as the center of traditional Japanese culture.
The seven-prefecture Union of Kansai
Governments endorsed a plan to
make Kansai a backup capital in the event of a natural disaster in Tokyo, and
one of the proposals was to relocate
the Imperial family to the region.
Now, however,
Kyoto's political and business leaders are stressing the social and cultural benefits to the city and the
Kansai region of having some Imperial family members in Kyoto.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Imperial
(adj.) - relating to an empire or to the person who rules it
2.
Millennium
(n) - a period of 1000 years
3.
Embarking
(v) - to start something, especially something new, difficult, or exciting
4.
Ancient
(adj.) having existed for a very long time
5.
Take up
(phrasal verb) – consider; to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea
6.
Modern
(adj.) - present time or most recent time
7.
Endorsed
(v) - to express formal support or approval for someone or something
8.
Relocate
(v) - they move to a different place
9.
Stressing
(v) - to emphasize(to say something in a strong way) a statement, fact, or
idea
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Discuss about the Imperial family of Japan.
2.
Do you support the idea that Imperial family
should move to Kyoto? Why? Why not?
3.
What do you think are the importance of Royal
families in a country?
4.
What are
the things that you are interested about in royalty/ royal families? Explain.
5.
In your opinion, is Tokyo not safe for the
Imperial families? Why? Why not?
