Social studies field trip for adults. Let's go to the National Diet Building!

I think many people have memories of visiting the National Diet Building during their elementary and junior high school social studies field trips and school trips. Do you remember what you saw at that time? Whether you have never seen it before or have visited in the past, touring the National Diet Building is more enjoyable when you are an adult. Now, let's go on an adult social studies field trip.

What are the procedures for visiting the National Diet Building?

The National Diet Building houses the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.

If you have 10 or more people for either tour, please download and fill out the application form and visitor list from the respective websites of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, and apply for the tour by fax. If there are 9 or fewer people, on weekdays, go directly to the entrance gates of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors to complete the procedures.

The House of Councilors is closed to the public on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Members of the House of Representatives can apply at the House of Representatives Visitation Reception Desk on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. If you visit the National Diet Building on a holiday, you will be visiting members of the House of Representatives. From now on, we will focus on visiting members of the House of Representatives as a social studies field trip for adults on holidays.

We recommend visiting the House of Representatives on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays!

Tours of the House of Representatives are led by security guards who guard the building. Once you have checked in, you will be given a pamphlet for the tour, which will serve as your tour permit, so you will have to carry it in your hand as your baggage will be inspected. On weekdays, when the National Diet is in session, there are restrictions on what you can see, so we recommend visiting on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. From here, we will introduce the course for visiting the House of Representatives on holidays. The tour takes approximately 50 minutes.

After baggage inspection, on clear days, visitors line up in the plaza behind the National Diet Building, and from there head to the House of Representatives plenary session hall. The National Diet is closed on holidays, so you can sit in the audience seats in the main chamber and learn about the history of the National Diet Building, from its construction, through explanations from guards and an audio guide provided by a narrator.

The main session hall is the same Diet that you see on TV and on the news, but the most impressive thing is the huge British stained glass on the ceiling. Most of the National Diet Building was built using domestic technology, but there were three things that could not be made with Japanese technology at the time, one of which was stained glass. In addition to the main conference hall, there are also British-made stained glass windows. The second one is an American made air shooter. Inside the Capitol, there are mailboxes on each floor. When you put mail in the mailbox, all mail is sent to an underground collection and delivery office. The Ginza Post Office will then come to pick up and deliver. The other is a master key system that can open all rooms. This was also a technology that did not exist in Japan at the time. Everything else in the National Diet building is made from domestic products.

After visiting the main conference hall, the tour will include the Gokyusho, a room reserved for the use of the Emperor in the center of the National Diet Building. The extravagant decorations, such as crystal chandeliers, are even more impressive now that I am an adult. Then, we will walk through the main locations, such as in front of the rooms of each political party and the Budget Committee, but taking photos and videos is prohibited inside the National Diet Building. Go outside from inside the National Diet Building, and finally come to the main gate of the National Diet Building, where you can take photos. After taking a commemorative photo with the National Diet Building in the background, the tour ends here.

By the way, the National Diet Building was completed in 1890 (Meiji 23) and completed in 1936 (Showa 11). It cost 25,735,977 yen in the money at the time, but it is said to be 50 billion yen when converted to today's monetary value.

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Why not take a stroll through the filming locations of “Aibou”?

The Western-style garden in front of the National Diet Building, located on the left across the road from the main gate of the National Diet Building, is a famous spot from the beginning of the series as a filming location for "Aibou."

The scene where Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda and Ukyo Sugishita meet together was under this clock tower. The buildings visible behind the clock tower are the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency. This location, with both buildings reflected in the background, was the perfect location to convey a message when the theme of the drama was internal problems within the police force, such as conflicts between the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency.

By the way, this is also the place where the mansion of Naosuke Ii, the chief lord of the shogunate, was killed in the incident outside the Sakuradamon gate at the end of the Edo period.

Sakuradamon is just a stone's throw away from here. This fountain is located right next to the clock tower. The area surrounded by a rectangle has a beautiful fountain during the summer. This fountain is also a familiar spot in the "Aibou" series. He has appeared throughout the TV series from the first season to ``Aibo 15''.

Experience being a member of the Diet at the Constitutional Government Memorial Hall!

The House of Representatives Secretariat Constitutional Memorial Hall is located on the grounds of the Western-style garden in front of the National Diet, where "Aibou" was filmed. Replicas of the seats and podium in the main chamber of the House of Representatives are also on display, and you can actually sit on them. The size is the same as that of the main chamber of the National Diet. Moreover, you can freely take photos here. Experience what it's like to be a member of parliament.

For those who like Japanese history, there are valuable documents on display from the Meiji Restoration to the present day, which will greatly stimulate your intellectual curiosity. Of course, admission is also free.

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Read nostalgic manga at the National Diet Library!

Magazines and newspapers are available for viewing at the new wing of the National Diet Library. These magazines include Weekly Shonen Jump, Monthly Ribon, Monthly Animage, Weekly TV Guide, and you can read all kinds of magazines published in Japan and housed in the National Diet Library for free. In other words, if you come to the National Diet Library, you can read your favorite manga magazines for free.

First, create a registered user card at the reception desk of the National Diet Library. The card is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. This card will be used to enter and exit the library, as well as for all procedures such as viewing and copying materials.

To view a nostalgic manga magazine, you can research it on your device, submit a viewing application form to the counter, and it will be picked up from the archives in about 30 minutes and ready for viewing. If you feel nostalgic and want to keep it, you can request a copy. National Diet Library staff will make copies as long as it does not violate copyright laws. There is a charge.

The National Diet Library is a time capsule of publications. This is the place where I can fulfill my desire to read again. Manga that you thought you would never be able to read again can be read here for free. Also, the dining room at the National Diet Library is reasonably priced and has a great view. However, please note that it is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

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The tour included a tour of the National Diet Building, a Western-style garden in the front garden of the National Diet Building, where the movie "Aibo" was filmed, a tour of the Constitutional Government Memorial Hall, lunch at the National Diet Library cafeteria, and a look at nostalgic manga magazines. Why not?Everything is free except for lunch. However, the National Diet Library is closed on Sundays and public holidays, so if you want to visit everything, we recommend a Saturday.