With the 30-year Heisei Era nearing its end as then-Emperor Akihito prepared to abdicate at midnight Tuesday, members of the public recalled the past three decades and expressed their hopes for the new era starting the next day.

Crowds visited the Imperial Palace as rain fell on Tokyo and across many parts of Japan. The 85-year-old emperor gave a final farewell to the public in a ceremony within the palace at 5 p.m. before his elder son, then-Crown Prince Naruhito, 59, was to accede to the throne on Wednesday.

"I wanted to see the Imperial Palace on the last day of Heisei," said Kiwako Toma, 44, visiting the palace from Okinawa Prefecture with her 9-year-old son.