Tokyo diary: 6.15pm

John Key. Photo / Phil Walter

Audrey Young is with John Key reporting on his visit to Tokyo

The Imperial Palace was not as I imagined - at least the part where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko reside. It was very simple, stylish. All in all a very 60s palace.

There was just the official palace photographer and myself to capture the meeting of the Keys and their Majesties in the reception room. Everyone bowed when they entered the room so I did too (to the Emperor, not John Key).

I was listed as the official New Zealand photographer. I don't think the palace liason officer had ever had an official photographer with a cheap Sony Cybershot before. He was not impressed. But the pictures came out well and I will try to post them later.

The palace is set in beautiful gardens and the ancient buildings are open to the public. Tokyo itself in the Ginza part of town is quite lovely, not at all as I remember it when I last visited in 1985 as a guest of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper - circulation has fallen from 13 million to 11 million!

I was chaperoning a couple of New Zealand teenagers to the 40th anniversary ceremonies of the Hiroshima and Ngasaki bombings . We didn't see much of Tokyo then, because the pollution was prevalent. Today it is warm and clear and you can see blue sky.

I went to John Key's hotel suite after the palace to talk to him about the visit. He has a whole floor of the Imperial to himself - and his suite has a grand piano (the Japanese taxpayer is footing the bill on this one).

The ambassador, the head of the Dept of Prime Minister and Cabinet Maarten Wevers and others were meeting at a long table at the other end of the suite, no doubt on the PM's meeting with PM Hatoyama tomorrow.

Hatoyama made his first big speech in the Diet on Monday, repeating much of what he said in his party's manifesto and at the United Nations six days after taking office - taking power away from the bureaucratic elite who have run the country, giving women big financial incentives to give birth, cutting tolls on motorways and a lot of other big spending items for a country with public debt of around 180 per cent of gdp.

The Yomiuri Shimbun was not impressed: "Japan faces many pressing issues, including overcoming the economic downturn and uncertainty over employment, reconstruction of the nation's finances and how to cope with the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile developments.

"Given this harsh reality, we hope Hatoyama will clarify in a concrete manner during Diet deliberations basic national strategies to realise his political philosophy and how these policies should be prioritised".

Next assignment is to the Blessing of the Big Ball at the bottom of Tokyo Tower.

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2:15pm: John Key and his wife Bronagh are getting ready to call on the Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace.

I am allowed in for the meet and greet so long as I don't throw any questions their way. As if.

I arrived in Tokyo last night on the same flight as Jonah Lomu and Bronagh. Jonah will be up here for the Bledisloe.

If Steven Joyce has any hesitation about the electrification of Auckland rail he should come to Tokyo. The Narita Express from the airport to the city was unbelievably civilized. New clean seats, news reports on television screen and ads for an electric shaver you can use in the shower.

Martin Snedden and John Kirwan have just come into the hotel foyer and the embassy officials are now giving me the hurry up to get into the car for the palace.