A number of foreigners visited the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday to take in the atmosphere of Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony, despite tight security and bad weather, expressing fascination with Japan's centuries-old tradition.

"The ceremony should be a (point of) pride for the Japanese. This is a symbol of Japanese unity," said Ramesh Bhangay, 68, who came from India on holiday.

"We wanted to see (the ceremony) from the inside. That is why we came here originally," said his son, Mithilesh Bhangay, 37, although people were not allowed to enter the palace for security reasons.