On the day the hotel opened in 1923 a massive earthquake struck Tokyo, leveling much of the city, but the Imperial  received only slight damage. Joe and Marilyn were taken to the Imperial Hotel, located directly across from the Emperor's Palace in Tokyo. 200 riot police fought a huge crowd of hysterical Japanese MM fans who pushed each other into fish ponds, jammed revolving doors and broke plate glass windows. When MM made a brief balcony appearance the crowd again erupted into pandemonium.