TOKYO IMPERIAL PALACE
Tokyo Imperial Palace - Kokyo - home of the Japanese Head of State. Imperial Palace
Tokyo can be toured by the public.
Tokyo Imperial Palace (皇居 Kokyo) is the home of the Emperor
of Japan (the Japanese head of state). The actual Imperial Palace
building was part of the Edo Castle. It is surrounded by a moat and a
high wall and occupies the most expensive square kilometre in the
world. The Tokyo Imperial Palace is located within the
Chiyoda ward of central Tokyo.
Tokyo Imperial Palace - Moat, Wall and tower
Tokyo Imperial Palace Tours
The inner palace gardens and buildings are closed to the public except
on January 2 and December 23, when the imperial family makes a public
appearance; foreigners can also
apply online to join a guided tour of Tokyo Imperial Palace at other times, but you must
book in advance. Depending on demand, you sometimes can get in at
relative short notice. Expect to share your tour with hundreds of
other tourists. Tours are conducted in Japanese, but English audio
guide is provided free of charge. There is no charge for this tour.
Sculpture in front of Tokyo Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace was destroyed by allied bombing during World War II, even though
it was not supposed to be targeted. It was
rebuilt in the same style in 1968. It is the fact that the building is
relatively new and does not display the beauty one may expect from a
royal residence after seeing so many wonderful temples and shrines
throughout Japan. While the gardens are beautiful in sections, the
best gardens are definitely in the Imperial Palace East Gardens.
Is it worth see the inner Imperial Palace? Yes, for what it represents,
but not for its gardens or architecture. If you want to see a
beautiful garden, see the
Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens.
Marking of Sponsor inner wall Tokyo Imperial Palace
The above picture is part of the inner
wall which provides protection to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The
wall was built as part of the Edo Castle. Various wealthy sponsors
provided materials and tradesmen to construct the Edo Castle. To
ensure that other people in their society new they made a
contribution to the construction of Edo Castle they engraved their
mark onto some of the stone blocks that made up the wall.
Tokyo Imperial Palace Map
- See the layout of palace and gardens.
Tokyo Imperial Palace
Pictures - See many more pictures of the Tokyo Imperial Palace
in our picture gallery.
Nijubashi Bridge at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
It is said that the
Nijubashi Bridge is the most photographed scene in Japan.
(Article
based on
Wikitravel article
by Based on work by Paul N. Richter and Wikitravel user(s) Jpatokal
and Nzpcmad. Article used under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.)
|
