Leaving the Kyoto Imperial Palace on 26 November 1868, the Emperor arrived at the Edo Castle, made it to his new residence and renamed it to Tōkei Castle (東京城, Tōkei-jō). The Imperial Palace, or Kokyo in Japanese, is the center of Tokyo and, in some ways, the heart of Japan. While most of the grounds are, for obvious reasons, off-limits to the public at almost all times of the year, about a third of the area is open to the public if you join an organized tour hosted by the Imperial Household Agency. The buildings you see in this section are all post WWII era. Copyright © 2015–2020 trulytokyo.com. If you’re undecided here are 10 reasons to visit and things to do at Tokyo Imperial Palace to help you decide whether it makes it onto your itinerary. Diseñados por el arquitecto japonés Shōzō Uchii y que llevan en uso desde el 8 de diciembre de 1993.[5]. For more info about Tokyo, you might also like these articles. [10] He left for Kyōto again, and after coming back on 9 May 1869, it was renamed to Imperial Castle (皇城, Kōjō).[6]. In general the museum is open daily from 9am until around 4pm. The history of Japan being reigned over by an Emperor is extensive and fascinating dating back to 660BC. Opening hours: The modern Kyūden (宮殿) designed for various imperial court functions and receptions is located in the old Nishinomaru section of the palace grounds. Construction began in August 1964 and was completed in February 1966. Your email address will not be published. We are going beyond Tokyo for another 2 weeks: and we will be purchasing JR pass before we go but have taken your advice and will activate it from the day we leave Tokyo. The red brick halls of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan house a bijou collection of Japanese and Western art as well as a pleasant retro cafe where you can rest your feet. Of course if you are going to be really upset if you don’t get on it then book but if you can go with the flow of the day then I’d stay flexible. During the time of Edo castle this was the innermost circle of defence known as the Honmaru and secondary circle known as the Ninumaru. ©2020 Inbound Platform Corp. All Rights Reserved. The site of Tokyo Imperial Palace includes rich nature though it is surrounded by high-rise buildings in the sophisticated business district Marunouchi. Also, the outdoor Japanese Garden is very peaceful. Imperial Palace Chidori-ga-fuchi moat in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo at cherry blossom time. For the man on the street, the standard tour around the Imperial Palace includes the two adjoining parks: That’s a huge space … It's a great walk from Tokyo Station to the Palace. Thanks to its central location, you can easily walk from this area to Ginza, an elegant shopping district, or Nihonbashi, home to the Coredo Muromachi shopping centers and traditional restaurants. Todos los años el 1 de enero el palacio acoge una convención de poesía llamada Utakai Hajime. It’s situated right in the heart of Tokyo on 3.41 km2 of grounds. In 2019, the former Emperor Akihito was abdicated and the present Emperor Naruhito has been enthroned as the 126th emperor of Japan since then. The Imperial Family appears on the balcony before the crowd and the Emperor normally gives a short speech greeting and thanking the visitors and wishing them good health and blessings. Finally, as a link back to the feudal age and the times of Edo Castle keep a look out for the statue of Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336). Entry for this event is also via the Nijubashi gate between 9.30 am and 11.20 am and there will be 3 appearances by the Imperial family. Really boss dude. The castle had been controlled by Ieyasu Tokugawa who established the Shogunate in the Edo Period. Copyright © Japan National Tourism Organization. Is the Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku worth visiting? The floor space was more than 223 tsubo or approximately 737.25 m2 (7,935.7 sq ft). Tokyo Imperial Palace is also famous for its accessibility since since it is located near Tokyo Station. To stand beneath its scale is very impressive, those doors and slabs of stone are massive. If you found this article helpful please consider saving in Pinterest or sharing on social media.