Visit Imperial Palace Tokyo

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A Tokyo Imperial Palace visit is like someone just threw me from the modern Nijubashimae Station into the Edo period. You can also arrive at the Otemachi Station from the Tokyo Station connection to arrive at the Imperial Palace. The Tokyo Imperial Palace will leave you breathless! You will travel back to a time where you can just imagine the imperial family of Japan living here. Make sure you make time to visit Imperial Palace Tokyo!

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How to visit the Imperial Palace

Visiting the imperial palace grounds and imperial household is free. You can view the outer area of this Edo castle on your own. No tour guide is necessary. You can also walk through the Kikyomon gate and view the three main garden areas of this palace. Those garden areas are Kitanomaru Park, Imperial Palace East Gardens, and Kokyogaien National Garden.

Reserving guided tour

You will, however, need to reserve free guided tours. Those tours are available in Japanese with audio apps in English plus five other languages. Make reservations to see the inner grounds & the national family home indoors. As all things when visiting Japan, I would personally not procrastinate in reserving anything way ahead of time.

Best time to go

One of the best times to visit the gardens is during the cherry blossom season. It looks absolutely beautiful! Our family visited in early October so we didn’t witness any cherry blossoms.

cherry blossoms blooming — {Photo by Canva}

When cherry blossom bloom

Cherry blossom season runs between late March and early April, but there is a small window of opportunity. Between March 29th and April 6th is peak season, so plan accordingly if this is something you wish to experience.

Meet the royal family

Traveling beginning of January? On January 2nd you will definitely want to visit because the Imperial Household Agency opens the gates to the public. This is in celebration of the New Year. You can view the inner palace grounds and the Imperial family will greet visitors. It’s truly a rare & special occasion!

Guards galore

The guard station is where you can start walking your way up. It’s the closest possible point to see the entrance to the Imperial Palace doors. Even at the entrance stands two guards protecting at all times. I’m not sure where the entrance to the guided tours are since we didn’t do that. But, I don’t believe this is it since we didn’t see anyone lining up here to go inside.

Walk the perimeter

If you want to walk the perimeter of the Imperial Palace, make sure you have time. This place is enormous! We skipped this because our feet were hurting so bad from so much walking! And that’s one thing you need to be aware of – work up to the amount of walking you will be doing in Japan! We way underestimated it! Not just walking, but stairs – oh lots of stairs! True story. My husband was in a wheelchair the last three days of our trip because his knee couldn’t do give anymore. And he is mid-age and in good health!

Must go

In conclusion, a visit to Imperial Palace Tokyo is a must if it’s your first time in Japan! It will leave you thinking of all the things that could have happened in its historical significance. It symbolizes Japan’s imperial heritage. Again, make sure you make time to visit Imperial Palace Tokyo!

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