Imperial Palace Tokyo: A Visitor Guide to the East Gardens, Nijubashi and the Palace Tour

Can You Visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo?

Yes, but not the palace buildings themselves. The Imperial Palace is the home and office of the Emperor of Japan, so most of it is closed.

Visitors can walk freely in the East Gardens, look at the palace across Nijubashi from the Outer Garden, and see the inner courtyards on a free guided walk run by the Imperial Household Agency.

The palace stands on the site of Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns for over 260 years. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the Emperor moved here from Kyoto.

Most of the castle buildings were lost to fires, earthquakes and the air raids of 1945, but the stone walls, moats and gates survive, and they are what you see today. With the Outer Garden, the grounds cover a little over a square kilometre in the middle of the city.

Area	What you see	Cost	Booking
East Gardens	Edo Castle keep foundations, guardhouses, Ninomaru Garden	Free	None, closed Mon and Fri
Nijubashi and Outer Garden	The palace bridges, moats and lawns	Free	None
Palace grounds tour	Courtyards near the palace buildings, about 1 hour	Free	Online, or same-day tickets

East Gardens Hours, Closed Days and Entry

The East Gardens are free, need no reservation, and are the only part of the palace you can wander at your own pace. They are closed every Monday and Friday, so check the day before you plan around them.

Period	Open (last entry)
1 March to 14 April	9:00 to 17:00 (16:30)
15 April to 31 August	9:00 to 18:00 (17:30)
September	9:00 to 17:00 (16:30)
October	9:00 to 16:30 (16:00)
November to February	9:00 to 16:00 (15:30)

Closed days. The gardens close every Monday and Friday, and from 28 December to 3 January. The gardens open on national holidays that fall on those days, except the Emperor's Birthday on 23 February.

When a Monday holiday opens, they close the following Tuesday instead. They can also close at short notice for court events, so check the Imperial Household Agency site on the day.

Gates. You can enter by Otemon Gate, Hirakawamon Gate or Kitahanebashimon Gate. Otemon is the closest to Otemachi Station.

Bags. There is a bag check at the gate. The agency asks visitors to bring as little as possible and to leave luggage in a station locker or at the hotel.

What to See in the East Gardens

The East Gardens stand on the inner citadel of Edo Castle, and the highlights are the castle's remains rather than flowerbeds. Allow 60 to 90 minutes.

• Otemon Gate, the old main gate of the castle, where most visitors enter.
• Hyakunin-bansho, a long guardhouse where a hundred samurai once kept watch over the inner gate.
• Tenshudai, the huge stone base of the castle keep. The keep burned in 1657 and was never rebuilt. Children can climb to the top for a view across the lawn.
• Honmaru, the wide lawn where the shogun's palace once stood, good for running around.
• Ninomaru Garden, a stroll garden with a pond, carp and seasonal flowers.

The paths are mostly flat but partly gravel, and the climb from Otemon up to Honmaru is a long slope. A stroller manages, but it is hard work on the gravel.

How to Book the Free Imperial Palace Tour

The Imperial Household Agency runs free guided walks through the palace grounds, past the courtyards and buildings that are otherwise closed. You do not go inside the buildings.

The route is about 2.2 km and takes about an hour, with little shade.

• Days. Morning and afternoon tours run every day except Sundays, Mondays and most national holidays. From 1 July to 30 September, only the morning tour runs. No tours from 28 December to 4 January
• Start times. Tokyo's official tourism site gives 10:00 and 13:30
• Online booking. Booking opens at 5:00 Japan time on the 1st of the month before your visit and closes at 23:59 four days before. Each tour takes up to 200 people
• Same-day tickets. Tickets are handed out at Kikyo-mon Gate from 9:00 for the morning tour and from 12:30 for the afternoon tour, one per person, until they run out
• Meeting point. Kikyo-mon Gate
• ID. Bring a passport or driving licence. Photocopies are not accepted
• Children. Visitors under 18 must be with an adult

With young children, an hour's walk on a fixed route in summer is a lot. The East Gardens are easier, because you can stop whenever you like.

Nijubashi and the Imperial Palace Outer Garden (Kokyo Gaien)

Nijubashi is the view on every postcard of the palace, with two bridges over the moat leading to the main gate and the white Fushimi-yagura turret behind. You see it from the Imperial Palace Plaza, the wide gravel square of the Outer Garden.

It is free and there is no gate or ticket.

Strictly, the stone bridge in front is Seimon Ishibashi, and the name Nijubashi belongs to the iron bridge behind it, but everyone calls the view Nijubashi.

Kokyo Gaien, the Outer Garden, is the open land of lawns, black pines and wide paths between the palace moats and Marunouchi. These are its landmarks.

• The statue of Kusunoki Masashige, a 14th-century samurai remembered for his loyalty to the Emperor
• Wadakura Fountain Park, near the Tokyo Station side
• Rest houses with drinks and food, including the Nanko Rest House near the Kusunoki statue

There is little shade on the plaza, so bring water in summer. Allow 30 minutes for Nijubashi and the statue, longer if you walk to Wadakura Fountain Park.

How to Get to the Imperial Palace

The palace is in the middle of Tokyo, and several stations surround it. Choose the station by the part you want to see.

For	Station	On foot
East Gardens (Otemon Gate)	Otemachi (Tokyo Metro, Toei Mita)	A few minutes
Nijubashi	Nijubashimae (Chiyoda Line)	About 2 to 5 minutes
Outer Garden	Tokyo Station, Marunouchi side	About 10 to 15 minutes

From Asakusa, take the subway to Otemachi, with one change. On our classic first day in Tokyo, that is how we get from Senso-ji to the palace after lunch.

Visiting the Imperial Palace with Kids

The palace is a calm, open break in a busy day, but there is not much for young children to do, so keep it short.

• Make it a castle. Children like the idea that a shogun's castle stood here. Find the guardhouse, climb the keep foundations, and look down at the moat.
• Let them run. The Honmaru lawn in the East Gardens and the lawns of the Outer Garden are some of the few open spaces in central Tokyo.
• Toilets. There are toilets in the East Gardens and at the rest houses in the Outer Garden.
• Shade and water. Most of the area is open gravel and grass. In summer, go in the morning.
• Combine it. Thirty to sixty minutes is plenty, then move on to somewhere livelier.

From the palace, our classic day goes on to Tokyo Tower and its Main Deck at 150 metres. For more ideas, see things to do in Tokyo with kids.

If you would like the whole day planned for you, including the subway changes and where the lifts are, see our private Tokyo tour with kids.

Things to Do Near the Imperial Palace

The palace sits between Tokyo Station and Ginza, so it fits easily into a day in central Tokyo.

• Tokyo Station, with its red-brick Marunouchi building and food halls underground
• Marunouchi Naka-dori, a tree-lined street of shops and cafés
• KITTE Marunouchi, with a free roof garden looking over the station
• Ginza, a walk south of the Outer Garden through Hibiya
• Asakusa in the morning, for Senso-ji and a tea ceremony

To see how these fit together, browse our tours in Tokyo.

Etiquette at the Imperial Palace

The palace is a working residence and a national symbol, so behave as you would at a government building rather than a park.

• Follow the guards' instructions and stay on public paths.
• Photos are fine in the East Gardens and the Outer Garden. On the guided tour, follow the photography rules given at the start.
• Do not fly drones, pick plants, or smoke. Smoking is banned in the Outer Garden, including e-cigarettes.
• Keep your voice down near the gates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you go inside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo?

Not inside the buildings. You can walk in the East Gardens, see Nijubashi from the Outer Garden, and join the free guided walk through the palace grounds, which passes the buildings without entering them.

Is the Imperial Palace East Garden free?

Yes. Entry is free and there is no booking. There is a bag check at the gate. The gardens are closed on Mondays and Fridays and from 28 December to 3 January.

What days is the East Garden closed?

Every Monday and Friday, and 28 December to 3 January. If a national holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, the gardens open, and close the next Tuesday after a Monday holiday. They may also close for court events.

How do I book the Imperial Palace tour?

Apply on the Imperial Household Agency website from 5:00 Japan time on the 1st of the month before, until four days before your visit. Or queue at Kikyo-mon Gate for same-day tickets from 9:00 or 12:30.

How long should I spend at the Imperial Palace?

Allow 60 to 90 minutes for the East Gardens, about 30 minutes for Nijubashi and the Outer Garden, and an hour for the guided walk.

What is the nearest station to the Imperial Palace?

Otemachi Station for the East Gardens, Nijubashimae Station on the Chiyoda Line for Nijubashi, and Tokyo Station, about 10 to 15 minutes on foot, for the Outer Garden.

Sources

https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-event/higashigyoen02.html
https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.html
https://www.env.go.jp/garden/kokyogaien/english/index.html
https://www.gotokyo.org/jp/story/guide/a-noble-look-at-tokyos-imperial-palace-a-guide-to-the-royal-residence/index.html