Imperial Palace Tokyo: East Gardens and the Free Guided Tour

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Researched guide · Checked on Oct 20, 2026

The Imperial Palace stands on the site of the old Edo Castle, in the middle of Tokyo, a short walk from Tokyo Station. You can visit in two ways: walk freely around the East Gardens, or join the free Imperial Palace guided tour of the inner grounds. Here is how each works.

The East Gardens

For the gates, what to see inside and how long to spend, see our full Imperial Palace East Gardens guide.

The East Gardens are the former center of Edo Castle. You can see the stone base of the castle keep (Tenshudai), old guardhouses, a Japanese garden (Ninomaru Garden) and seasonal flowers. The Imperial Household Agency offers a free audio guide app.

Period	Hours	Last entry
March 1 – April 14	9:00–17:00	16:30
April 15 – August 31	9:00–18:00	17:30
September	9:00–17:00	16:30
October	9:00–16:30	16:00
November 1 – end of February	9:00–16:00	15:30

• Closed: every Monday and Friday (open on national holidays except February 23; when a holiday falls on a Monday, closed the next Tuesday), December 28 – January 3, and on days of Imperial Court events.
• Admission: free.
• Gates: Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon and Kitahanebashi-mon.
• Bags: bags are inspected at the entrance. Bring as little as possible, and leave suitcases in a station locker or at your hotel.

The Imperial Palace guided tour

The guided tour takes you inside the palace grounds, past buildings you cannot see from outside. The route is about 2.2 km and takes about an hour, with little shade, so bring water in summer.

• When: a morning and an afternoon tour each day. No tours on Sundays, Mondays, most national holidays, afternoons from July 1 to September 30, December 28 – January 4, and days of Imperial Court events.
• Book online: applications open at 5:00 (Japan time) on the first day of the month before your visit and close at 23:59, four days before the visit. Up to 200 people per tour.
• Same day: numbered tickets are handed out at Kikyo-mon Gate, first come, first served, from 9:00 for the morning tour and 12:30 for the afternoon tour, until they run out.
• ID: bring a valid passport, driver’s license or student ID. Photocopies are not accepted. Visitors under 18 must come with an adult.
• Meeting point: Kikyo-mon Gate.

Inui-dori Street: autumn opening, November 28 – December 6, 2026

For nine days, you can walk along Inui-dori, a street inside the palace grounds that is usually closed, at the time of the autumn leaves. The route is one way and about 750 m long.

• Entry: 9:00–15:00, and you must leave by 15:30.
• Route: in at Sakashita-mon Gate, out at Inui-mon Gate. You cannot enter from Inui-mon or from the East Gardens.
• Allow time: it can take close to 30 minutes on foot from the nearest stations to Sakashita-mon, and there is a line and a bag check. Leave suitcases in a locker.
• Not allowed: eating, alcohol, smoking, tripods and selfie sticks. You can drink water.
• East Gardens during this time: Ote-mon Gate is exit only, so enter through Hirakawa-mon or Kitahanebashi-mon.
• Cancellations: it can be cancelled for an earthquake or bad weather.

How to get there

The palace is about a 10-minute walk from the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. Otemachi Station (several subway lines) is close to the Ote-mon Gate of the East Gardens. See our Ginza and Tokyo Station guide for the area.

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