Tokyo / Marunouchi & Tokyo Station / Garden

Imperial Palace East Gardens

皇居東御苑 こうきょひがしぎょえん

The site of Edo Castle — the great keep's stone base, the moats, and a garden open free to anyone who walks in.

EssentialHistory · Nature · Free · Quiet · Seasonal · Early morning

The inner citadel of Edo Castle, the largest fortress in the world in 1650, is now a public garden inside the palace grounds. Enter through the Otemon gate across the moat, pass the guardhouses, and climb to the honmaru lawn where the keep stood until it burned in 1657; the stone base is still there and you can stand on it. Below is the Ninomaru garden, a stroll garden with an iris pond and a copse of trees, one from each prefecture. No ticket, no booking — just a numbered token at the gate to hand back on the way out.

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
Closed Mondays and Fridays and on some imperial occasions; check before you plan the morning around it.
Best time
Opening time on a weekday; June for the irises; late November for the maples.
Allow
90 min
Station
Otemachi (five subway lines), exit C13a, straight to the Otemon gate
Official site — hours, prices, closures
sankan.kunaicho.go.jp · Map

Appears in

In this area: Marunouchi & Tokyo Station

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