As a child I remember Sunday walks in the Imperial Palace. Stepping back in time I immersed myself in the beauty of the grounds at the remains of the castle tower. Had to stop by the Palace Hotel to buy an impromptu umbrella as the November drizzle caught me in its cool embrace. Pausing before the majestic moat, gates, walls and guardhouses, under the mist and grey sky was a Sumi-e experience. Hardly any people and everything in subtle shades of ink punctuated by the birds plaintive cries ---who almost sounded like they wanted to convey the historical secrets.