Palace & fortress

Tokyo Imperial Palace

Address: 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo
Area: Tokyo, Japan

Mon: Closed
Tue: 09:00–16:30
Wed: 09:00–16:30
Thu: 09:00–16:30
Fri: Closed
Sat: 09:00–16:30
Sun: 09:00–16:30
Hours: For the East Gardens: in October, entry is allowed until 16:00; closed Mondays and Fridays. Palace tours generally run at 10:00 and 13:30, but not on Sundays or Mondays.
Price: Admission and the guided tour are free; no currency applies.
How to visit: Enter the East Gardens through Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon or Kitahanebashi-mon gates. The Palace tour requires photo ID and a numbered ticket or advance registration; meet at Kikyo-mon Gate. Baggage inspection is conducted; buildings are viewed from outside and are not entered.
Hours: Free entry
Hours: Fine in the rain
Hours: About 60–75 min

Why it is worth the detour

The Imperial Palace and its gardens in Chiyoda.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace is the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan, located in a large park-like area in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It features historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and is built on the site of the old Edo Castle.

What else is close by

The nearest places we have written up, with straight-line distance from here.

550 m
Sakuradamon Gate
The 1620s gate of Edo Castle where in 1860 the shogun's chief minister Ii Naosuke was assassinated in the snow.
750 m
Imperial Palace East Gardens
Paths, walls and the foundation of the lost keep reveal the former Honmaru and Ninomaru compounds of Edo Castle.
850 m
Chidorigafuchi Moat
The northwestern moat of Edo Castle becomes one of Tokyo's most celebrated scenes when cherry branches arch above its boats and stone walls.
900 m
Former Chamberlain's Residence Site at Chidorigafuchi
Near the east entrance of Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery stood the official residence where rebels shot Chamberlain Suzuki Kantarō three times. His wife pleaded against a final sword stroke, and Suzuki unexpectedly survived—then became prime minister during Japan’s surrender in 1945.
1.0 km
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters Site
Rebel troops occupied the police headquarters beside Sakuradamon early on February 26, temporarily neutralizing the civilian force expected to defend the capital. The police leadership rejected proposals for a direct armed counterattack, leaving the army to suppress its own mutiny.
1.0 km
National Diet Building
The Lockheed scandal became national theater here when Marubeni executives testified before the House of Representatives Budget Committee in February and March 1976. Their denials about coded “peanuts” receipts were later judged to be false testimony, fixing the word “peanuts” in Japan’s political vocabulary as shorthand for covert money.