Hi there! You’re in Tokyo? Maybe staying at Tokyo Family Stay’s Conoe Sanbancho’s Apartment?
And you would like to see a park or garden?
Then let’s go for a walk! A walk around and through the Tokyo Imperial Palace!
Of course, you can start on any side of the Imperial Palace but since we are collaborating with the wonderful fellow small business Tokyo Family Stays, we will start at the Ichigaya side where one of their properties is located.
Let me introduce Tokyo Family Stays before starting the actual walk.
Ash and Tracey, a couple from Australia but Tokyo long-term residents started small. While still managing their small business all by themselves, they now have many properties all around Tokyo! Proofing that the guests are all feeling completely satisfied with their services.
As the name says, most of the apartments are family-friendly. Though they also have a few smaller ones for single or pair travelers.
Ok! Now, let’s really start!
From Ichigaya Station, it’s not far to Yasukuni Shrine. It’s a really old Shrine and houses the index tree for the Sakura flowers. However, I would recommend reading up about its role in the ongoing fight between Japan and Korea and only then deciding if you want to visit or not.
From there, you can go over to the grounds of the Imperial Palace to the parks next to Chidorigafuchi.
The Chidorigafuchi moat is extremely popular during Cherry Blossom Season when the branches of the trees are hanging in full bloom above the water. It is even possible to rent a boat and experience this directly from the water.
My recommendation is to walk to the North along the moat until you arrive at the Tayasumon entrance to Kita no Maru Park.
“No Maru” describes the grounds between the different ramparts of a Japanese castle, the bailey. The only real public park within the former Edo castle grounds is on the Northern Bailey.
Take your time to stroll through the wood-like parts with the stream running from the hill into the pond, surrounded by a lawn that invites you to picnic.
If you like museums, you might want to visit the Science and Technology Museum which is located on the grounds next to Kita no Maru Park.
From Kita no Maru Park you can go through the Kita-hanebashi Gate into the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.
Be careful! The gardens are closed on Mondays, Fridays, and some special holidays. You can find an opening calendar in English here: Opening Calendar Imperial Palace Tokyo
Since you enter from the North side, you will immediately see the remains of the main tower of Edo Castle!
Don’t be disappointed, it’s only a walled hill you can climb. But still. Imagine that from where you stand right now, whole Japan was once ruled by the Shogun!
The place of the main tower, the keep, is at the edge of the Honmaru. The Honmaru housed the palace of the Shogun and storehouses with the treasury.
Every castle commonly has the Honmaru, and a second and third bailey called the Ni no Maru and San no Maru.
By the way, if you haven’t done it yet, now is the time to buy our garden guide for the Tokyo Imperial Palace and use it for the following:
Secret Gardens
Tokyo Imperial Palace Ninomaru Gardens
2016 – The garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
Available as PDF
4.95$ Buy / Preview
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In the case of Edo Castle, Ni no Maru housed a garden designed by Kobori Enshu. Kobori Enshu was an important retainer of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was a tea master, architect, garden designer, and daimyo. Today, the Ni no Maru garden is famous for its azaleas and irises. But even if not coming during the flower season of those two, the garden is still beautiful and worth a visit!
In Ni no Maru you will also find trees from every prefecture in Japan donated to the Imperial Palace and a few remaining buildings which housed the garrison.
You will leave the East Gardens through the San no Maru.
In our garden guide, we are explaining everything in detail, so no need to look anything up on other websites.
You may wonder why I wrote the Shogun ruled Japan from Edo castle and then refer to it as Imperial Palace?
During the reign of the Shogun, Kyoto officially remained the capital of Japan. The Emperor lived there in Kyoto Palace and while he was only a puppet of the Shogunate, he still was the official ruler of Japan.
When the Shogunate lost power around 1868, forces aimed to put the Emperor back on the throne, giving him back power. To demonstrate this, and the end of the Shogunate, the Emperor moved to that place, which was the symbol of the power of the Shogunate.
Since then, the former Edo castle is known as the Tokyo Imperial Palace and even today, the Emperor is living there with his family. That part of the grounds is off-limits though. Except for very special occasions like the New Year’s greeting.
The East Garden of the Imperial Palace is left through the Otemon Gate. On your way, make sure to look at the high walls, which are, of course, also original.
Can you see the different methods used? By the way, there are many legends around walls like these. For example, humans were locked alive inside the wall because it was believed it would strengthen the walls. But those are legends and there is no proof.
After crossing the Otemon Gate, the main gate to Edo Castle, you can go straight and have a look at Tokyo Station, or turn right and explore the outskirts of the Imperial Palace even more! For example, you can see the Tatsumi Yagura.. It’s a tower directly over the moat.
If you walk further, along the impressive rows of pruned pine trees, you will come across two bridges laying behind each other. They are not open to the public. The bridges mark the entrance to the Imperial Palace and if you are lucky, you can see the Imperial carriage bringing state guests to an audience with the Emperor.
From there, you can continue your way through the Sakurada Gate and go back towards Ichigaya along the Imperial Palaces moat, or you make a short detour to the place from where Japan is ruled now. The parliament building is right behind Sakuradamon Subway Station and there are even two small gardens in front!
One is the South Garden of the Diet Front Park and the other is the North Garden of the Diet Front Park. Great names, I know..
I recommend the South Garden. It has a nice stream running through it and a small pond.
If you like to walk, it’s only a short distance from the National Diet Building, the parliament, to the famous Hie Shrine, which functioned as a protective shrine to Edo Castle.
But today I would like to end the tour here. Maybe you would like to come back and book our Power Spot Tour where we cover the protective Shrines and Temples of Edo Castle!
See you soon!
Real Japanese Gardens 