Imperial Palace East National Gardens

Beautiful and peaceful, wide open spaces with lots of greenery that will make you double-think if you're really still in Tokyo. The weather was great (late Oct) and although the autumn leaves weren't out yet, the trees and grass are lush and full of life. The huge koi fish swimming in the pond are also wonderful to look at. There is a bag check at the entrance.

Loved visiting the Imperial Palace East Garden. It’s a vast and peaceful place, perfect for a relaxing walk. Lots of different trees, nice gardens, koi ponds, and interesting old palace structures like guard houses, cellars, watch-towers, tea house. In case u want to take a break, there are rest areas equipped with vending machines too. The entry to the garden is free! Totally worth visiting... 🍃

Absolutely gorgeous garden! A lot of work has gone into preserving its historical significance and beauty, including preserving original guard barracks and the orchard. Now, the garden serves as a celebration of Japan. They’ve added various sections such as the bamboo garden with different bamboos found across the country and a tree garden with one tree from every province. The landscaping is impressive—they’ve maintained the original walls and moats—and they’ve done their best to make the gardens accessible to all ages. No fee or ticket needed for entry, just a bag check at the entrances. Reading other reviews, it’s worth noting there is no palace here anymore, nor is the palace really visible. This is just the East Garden adjacent the current Imperial Palace.

Very beautiful! It was closed certain areas but we walked around the palace and still can enjoy it. There was a lot of security which I noticed with the imperial palace throughout Japan to enter they do inspection on bags, very nice. There is also a very pretty stamp inside a souvenir shop :)

The Imperial Palace East Gardens are beautiful, even on cloudy days. I enjoyed seeing seasonal fruit trees like persimmons and citrus. The gardens are modern but designed based on the Edo-period layout on the former castle site. The guided Imperial Palace tour pairs well with a visit.

Beautiful grounds - a lovely, green sanctuary within the busyness of the city. It seems very well maintained. I appreciated the informative signs, and labels for the trees. A really nice way to spend a sunny afternoon!

It is a historical garden in the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The gardens were first used by the Tokugawa shogunate. The garden was built on the grounds of Edo Castle. The building of the modern gardens began in 1961. The garden is over 210,000 square metres. The garden was completed in 1968. Gardens are well maintained and lovely blooms and manicured trees. Popular place, lots of tourists and locals. Picturesque place. Must see place. Uneven terrain, lots of walking. Wear comfy shoes, take water, wear hat, sunscreen. Great place for photography

I joined the Imperial Palace tour, and it was truly a fantastic experience. The tour allowed me to learn deeply about Japan’s history and culture, and it became a wonderful memory of Tokyo. I especially highly recommend our tour guide, K. K was very knowledgeable, engaging, and explained everything clearly, making the experience even more enjoyable and meaningful. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Tokyo!

Beautiful and well maintained gardens. Free admission! Come during cherry blossom season to see the pretty blooms.

We were staying across the street at The Tokyo Station, and having a couple hours free one day, decided to venture over to Imperial Palace to roam a bit. We ended up at the East Gardens, where the entry was free and fast. Our takeaway: gardens, expansive space, and spiders. We didn't cover the entire area we could've, there just wasn't time. But we wandered the lower and upper levels a bit. Wear your comfy walking shoes! The webs and spiders were honestly the part that stands out the most! They were all over, each one bigger than the last. It wasn't the most epic stop on our trip, or even just in Tokyo, but it was an decent way to spend a couple of hours.

A very nice free exploration of the imperial palace gardens! The gardens are huge, and they give you a map. You can easily spend several hours here if you're able to walk that much!

This attraction is free which is great! Not a lot to see, but nice to walk around the area. There are a handful of building still standing from the Edo period, but also nice nature.

Large landscaped gardens in the grounds of a palace first built in 1888, with some Edo castle ruins. This place is free and open to the public. Other than taking in the garden and grounds landscaping and beauty, there is not much activity to do here. The entire place is VERY large so I'd recommend taking wearing comfortable walking shoes (unlike me who wore boots and my feet went so numb I could barely walk anymore).

I was really expecting more from this place. It's nice, and well worth a walk through when viewing the palace but this is not really special. It's wonderful having a large open space in the middle of this enormous city but I have seen far better gardens. A few nice picture spots is about it. You can walk it in much less than an hour. Good thing it's free.

Came here during cherry blossom season..... OMG!!! The garden is full of flowers, so gorgeous!!! The pictures are just like "postcard". Japanese really know how to take care their gardens, very well maintained. This garden is located in a busy city, surrounded by high-rise buildings. It is nice to walk in this garden and escape from the busy city life for a while. Super relaxing just walking around this garden. After long day sightseeing, this is a perfect place to take a break and enjoy the beautiful view.

Ok so, I was not impressed. I'm glad entry was free - because I would've been pissed if I had paid. Nothing was in bloom during late May when I was here... which is fine. I was excited to see the Imperial Palace from far away.... that's not what happened. I roamed around for a while.... looking for it on a map - but most of the access areas where you could or would see it were closed. So I spent an hour or two roasting in the unforgiving sun without really seeing anything much inside the garden. There is plenty to see OUTSIDE - just not a ton inside. I did see a pretty zen area right by one of the entrances with some walking bridges, some flowers, a waterfall you can take stepping stones across and some pretty coy fish. I had to leave the gardens to find the view of the Imperial Palace I wanted to see and walk a long way around... so probably would not have gone back. This would be fine if you have tons of time in Tokyo to explore and wanted to spend a leisurely day strolling the quiet and large gardens in the middle of the city... but if you are on limited time like I was, I would not recommend it. There is so much else to see and you can walk past it on the outskirts in that part of the city (by the Tokyo train station) and see some other neat things without killing the time inside.

Paid a very short visit to one of the finest & must see places in Tokyo. For some reasons, the entire place was so much cooler than outside the palace walls. Perhaps all the trees & vegetation contributed to it's coolness. It is very easy place to get to visit subways. Admission is free, but they still issue one plastic admission ticket that needs to be returned upon completion of tour. Oh, don't expect to see the royalties in the compound. Understand that they, including the Emperor, only comes out in Japanese New Years to wish the well-being & happiness of his citizens.

Takes you back to the glimpse of live history of this place. It was great knowing about this place and getting to know a littlebit of Japanese Royal. Thank you for opening up this place for normal people like us. It made me feel like I am living a history of Japan being in the present.

This is a must visit! Gardens are amazing and they make you feel relaxed while enjoying nature. One of the best things is that you can sit at the benches and see different types of bids. The gardens are in the traditional Japanese style and it's amazing to know they have been here for hundreds of years.

A must to do when you're in Japan Tokyo area. We came here with a little overcast but very warm day. I don't know about you but where I live, it's a drought so we don't have many places like this. I would love to come here for free just to chill. I still appreciate the beauty of a full bloomed garden and with history behind the palace, even better. You will see the most beautiful garden with a moat or river around it. There are park benches to gasp at the beauty of the place trees and flowers. Even though there is a lot of people that go to this park especially on the weekends, the people that visit really do respect the peace and beauty of the trees and flowers and the birds that visit. It's best to come here is early March for the cherry blossom blooms but we came here mid April and there were still some cherry blossom trees still in full bloom with their flowers on it. Totally recommend to come visit this place!! I miss this place already!!

I came here so early, they weren't even open for admission yet! Kayser pâtisserie wasn't open either, so instead I checked out 7-11. It's so quiet in the mornings. All I spotted were various groups of runners encircling the palace area, going around and around. Once inside and getting a ticket slip ( though free), expansive walking grounds. Very nice time of admiring the tranquility of Japanese gardens! When in Chiyoda, try to hit up Ramen Street!

Steps from the financial district, you enter the gorgeous and vast gardens at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Entry is free, although you do take a ticket from a staff member and return it when done. As you begin to journey into the gardens, you are surrounding by green plants as well as very stately rock walls. They are really striking! From there, it becomes even more lush as you traverse through gardens, ponds with water lillies, and endless trees of all shapes and sizes. There are various areas to check out, including bamboo and rose gardens, as well as look out points. I'm told you can see to Mt Fuji on a clear day....we didn't have that, so not sure if that is true. It is a peaceful place to spend time, and like many gardens and parks on Tokyo, takes you a million miles away in just a few steps.

Amazing cultural beauty. Everywhere you walk here is beautiful. There is a tea house in the middle of the garden. There is kilometers of area to walk around and enjoy the view.

The East Gardens is not a place for entertainment rather a place to relax and walk around and enjoy the beautiful gardens and history of Japan. The price is right, it's free. I went in the morning and enjoyed the small museum, shop, music hall and the tranquility of the greenery. If you expect anything else I would not recommend.

The East Gardens is a nice historically rich walk, though I better enjoyed some other areas in Tokyo. The East Gardens does not have a lot of shady areas nor sitting areas along the walks, so summertime visits will be hot and sunshiney. There is a convenience cafe on the grounds that sells some ice cream and has an air conditioned room (which feels like a waiting room). There are some older buildings on the grounds, but few of them are originals. There are information plates with English to tell you about what each building was used for. You are not able to see into the palace at any point, but there are guided tours to give you a bit more behind-the-scene information than you'd get from reading the plaques. I better enjoyed the Shinkuju Gardens and Yoyogi Park, both of which had a lot more shade available and were more lush and inviting. If it's hot out, I'd recommend keeping your visit to the East Gardens short. If you're walking from the subway, it takes a good walk to get out to the East Gardens, which you'll want to keep in mind.

I personally loved this place. It was a very peaceful walk. The gardens are beautiful and there is a lake with some swans and ducks. It is located walking distance from tokyo station. The trees and greenery make it a very soothing. I truly love these green spaces in Tokyo.

This place is very nice for a walkthrough. There are several cherry blossoms during cherry blossom season. You can also view old guard towers. However, if the cherry blossoms were not in season, I would recommend other parks such as Shinjuku Goyen as that park had a beautiful Japanese Zen Garden and more plant/tree variety for viewing.

Can't sleep due to some serious jet lag and sleeping almost the entire day yesterday, so I figured it time to throw out some reviews! I came here during my first visit to Japan, and I returned during my second? Why? It's truly a location within the bowels of human history and any Japanese history buff owes to themselves to pay this location a visit. Plus, it's beautiful to boot and can be gorgeous on any day of the week. Rain or shine. There are a lot of exposed areas, so it can get warm without proper shade or equipment, but otherwise you'll be fine if you come on a cloudy day. Edo castle is a worth making the journey here alone.

Who can't resist a free park to wander through. We just missed the open days when you could actually walk the palace grounds but there a very narrow window just before Christmas. In any case we came just as it opened and people were lined up to go through the park. As you can imagine there were some ambitious travelers who brought their luggage in tow. Two reasons not to do that: They had their stuff searched upon entry and the grounds are not flat- meaning there's plenty of hills that will make this a difficult task. They give you a plastic ticket to hold and carry around and then return, maybe to keep track of who is still in the park. Even in the winter there are things to see. There was a small museum near the entrance and a gift store beside it. The persimmons were on the tree. The bamboo garden was nice to look at. There was a newly opened lookout building with a few facts. One was required to take off their shoes though it seemed a bit dirty inside. There's a steep hill to climb in the back near the chapel that has a vantage point. Most of the ponds have ducks, swans or crows swimming or flying around. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Admission is free, so that's a plus! But if you're low on time, I'd skip the East Gardens - it's pretty boring and especially unbearable on a hot day because it's so large and requires a lot of walking without too much shade. The East Gardens actually includes a wide variety of sites - there are gardens, Edo castle remains, a small bamboo section, etc. It's pretty easy to walk the entirety in a few hours.The gardens has some seating - when we went there were many old folks just chillin'. If you walk up the fort looking thing, there's a great view of the East Gardens with the city as a backdrop - pretty cool! There is also a Central Park Sheep Meadow-esque grassy area where you can take a nap and sunbathe (with your clothes on). This area is right across from the grassy area is the remains of an Edo castle - pretty cool in theory, but it's not that impressive in practice (just a platform sort of thing). If you keep walking around the grassy area, there's other sites like the bamboo garden. Overall, pretty meh experience. Might be worth it if you come when it's a little cooler.

We were not able to enter the palace as it is only open a two days a year (January 2nd and December 23rd) or special events, so check with your hotel concierge or local tour information source. Tours are available daily but tickets must be purchased. You are not allowed to enter any of the buildings, merely walk the grounds. Our tour leader explained the history and how the emperor doesn't actually reside here. Upon leaving our bus, we crossed the street from the parking lot to the surrounding grounds and saw a statue of a samurai warrior riding a horse (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=atmwiun7_5dUdGua9gPDIw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q); a tour host referenced this to the Tom Cruise movie. Following a long path that leads to the palace, there are various scenic points including the surrounding foliage. Being a rainy summer afternoon, there was not much in terms of flowers to be seen. For us, this was about a thirty to forty-five minute stop since we had other destinations on our afternoon schedule. The restrooms and smoking area are by the tour bus parking area. Perhaps, it is more of a destination when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

I loved this place in the Fall! There were lots of foliage to enjoy and it's a beautiful place to stroll along and even enjoy a picnic in peace. Japan is a really busy country and especially in Tokyo, it's very hectic and loud. This place reminds you that you can escape that for awhile and be one with nature. This park is pretty big so walking through it will take awhile, we didn't mind it though, since we weren't in a rush to go anywhere else. After this stroll, we went and got ramen, it was just that perfect.

While we were in Japan, we were able to visit both the Imperial Palace itself + the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. What an incredible experience! You need to make an appointment far in advance for the Imperial Palace tour -- a tour of the inner grounds, where the royal family entertains and hosts guests and ceremonial festivities. The East Gardens is open to the public - anyone can visit at any time of the year. Check the Imperial Palace website for more details!

One of the most beautiful garden I saw in Japan. You have to go this garden on your way to The Imperial Palace, which I think is a must to visit. If you like taking pictures, this is an awesome place, cherry blossoms everywhere and I like how it clearly reflect on the river connecting to the palace. The Palace itself is a good photo opportunity too. I was astonished when I stared at that palace. It's just unfortunate that you can't go inside. They said they only open the palace for a certain days of the year. Wear a comfortable shoes for it will require a lot of walking. Be wary of the pedestrian for cars are too fast. You have to obey the law upon crossing the street. Most of all, enjoy the view.

I had some time to kill while my friend was at work. So I ventured to the East Gardens per her recommendation. I didn't realize how large it was! There is a variety of plant life. Each section was unique. It's a change of pace and scenery from all the hustle and bustle of the big corporations nearby. If I had more time, I would spend the day here.

East Gardens Of The Imperial Palace was very beautiful. This place is big and there's a lot of areas for you to walk around. It may take you a whole day just to travel in different areas, but you can only explore outside of the palace. We are not allowed inside the palace grounds. I would not recommend visiting here unless if it's on a special day where the King comes out to say hi to the public or you would like to just explore the beautiful gardens. Other than that, I think it's nice for some photo ops here and there. It's also great to see some history such as where the guards use to stay to protect the palace from invaders. These landmarks & historical buildings really gets your imagination going!

NO NO don't even bother! It's not worth it! I was sooo looking forward to visit this palace and the only place you are allowed to get in is somewhere that is not worth it at all! So what is the point? Seeing some green dirty water that have not been cleaned for like 5 years! I don't even know how did they get these flowers pictures and I was there end of April! May be these flowers bloomed for one day! Give me a break you don't put pics of some tree flowers that only bloom for an hour like something people can visit when they can't see anything worth the effort! Very disappointed l! Tokyo is waaaay overhyped! Save your money and go elsewhere there is nothing to see in Tokyo other than the metro (LOL) and shop at Zara (!!!!!) or H&M (!!!!) or see the stupid very busy crossing streets! Who wants to see that. Way too expensive, way overhyped! The only thing I liked is the courtesy of Japanese people which is 2nd to none .

I didn't actually tour the Imperial Palace but I did the loop and the East Gardens. Lots of lovely foliage and photo opportunities here. Some beautiful statues as well. Nice little garden oasis in the middle of Tokyo.

the imperial palace is the primary residence of the emperor of japan and one of the main landmarks & historical sites that was NOT destroyed in the 2nd world war. my husband, the history nut, told me that the allied forces chose not to bomb the emperor's house during the firebombing raid in 1945 for fear that japan would not surrender in the war. well, several months later, japan surrendered, and 6 decades later, this palace still stands, as a popular site for tourists to visit and admire. while admission is free, we unfortunately missed the cutoff for last entry on a weekday, so we had to settle for walking around the perimeter of the palace, but honestly, i didn't mind! the perimeter actually makes for a really nice running loop and we saw tons of runners, from school-aged children (probably a high school track team) to older, senior citizens taking advantage of this flat path. we did our best to stay out of their way while admiring the exterior of the palace, the moat, and the beautiful sun that was setting over the gardens. i'm not quite sure how long the perimeter of the palace is, but it must be pretty long since hubby and i walked at least a mile before deciding to turn back since our feet were getting sore! i'd love to return for another visit to see the inside gardens, the palace, and perhaps bring my running shoes so that i can run a loop around the palace (and use my garmin to see how long the loop is!) conveniently located near multiple train stations, including tokyo station (large station serving multiple train lines), otemachi station, nijubashi-mae station, and hibiya station. tip: check the schedule before your visit so that you know when the gates close for the day!

Scenery: 3 stars Nothing special. No direct connection to the Imperial palace even though the ground was connected. It was very inconvenient to get around. Atmosphere: 4 stars Relaxing and spacious. Service: 4 stars Closed Mondays and Fridays. Expense: 5 stars It is free. Return: 2 Star Cherry blossoms and botanical species were not very impressive. A few historical attractions to see but not much else.

We came here to check out the grounds since we were close and didn't realize the emperor actually lived there. We found that out when all of a sudden the police opened the gates while we were walking close to there and all these black cars, suv's, police motorcyclist and then the black car with little flags on it came rolling out. The place is huge. The house on top by the wall is very pretty. The water fountains before you get to the property is also an architectural dream. The lawn is very well maintained and I would not want to pay that water bill. The bridge was pretty as well. At 5 o'clock though if you try to get near the bridge the cops do not like that too much. They're very strict on time codes. The statues are very pretty and old. The entire place is old. It's free to get there and walk around. Its a big place to walk around so have your tennis shoes.

We went the end of April and it wasn't that great. No flowers and not a lot to see. I think It would be absolutely beautiful when things are blooming. If there's a way to get into the palace area, that would make it much better.

We went on a very hot day so it was hard to fully appreciate, but the garden, which is near the Imperial Palace, is quite tranquil and serene. By the way, you can get close to the Imperial Palace but can't actually go inside the palace or the grounds due to security concerns. The East Garden has a variety of trails, ponds, and beautiful trees. On a nice day you could stroll for an hour or more; on a hot day we were there only about 30 minutes so we saw only a small portion. Nonetheless, this is certainly a worthwhile activity to put on your to-do list in Tokyo. The admission is free, but you have to turn in your token on the way out so they make sure no one is hiding on the grounds.

This place is beautiful. It is very large with a lot of place to walk around in. I was pretty tired after an afternoon of walking around Tokyo, and I was able to find a tree to sit under for a while and relax. There were a lot of people there, but I was able to find a quiet spot away from everyone. When I was there they had a car safety demonstration outside of the gates. They were showing people what to do if they got into an accident. It wasn't boring, like it seems like it would be. It was almost a comedy act. It seems like they might have events like that pretty often, so I'd keep an eye out for anything going on around the garden.

Open to the public only certain days of the week, this part of the Imperial Palace is worth going to, even if you get the days mixed up and have to come back another time. I've only been here in the winter, when the grass is brown/golden and little is in bloom, but it's still a really wonderful place. Admission is free, though you do need to take a token from the visitor booth and return it when you leave. There is a museum on site which I haven't checked out yet, as well as some historical buildings, gardens, ponds, and a botanical garden of trees representing each of the prefectures of Japan. My favorite area is the pond gardens. It is so peaceful and relaxing to just sit and look out over them. This is a good spot right in the heart of Tokyo to see birds, since a lot of the modern neighborhoods don't have enough trees or plants to attract any wildlife. The sign out in front of the public entrance to the East Gardens includes English so I could tell which days I should be visiting. I highly recommend you stop here when things get busy and you need a bit of peace and quiet in Tokyo.

Very beautiful park situated in the former Honmaru, or main compound of the old Edo Castle where the Tokugawa shoguns once resided, now the imperial palace grounds. The main reason why I wanted to see this park was to view the old ruins of the main tower of Edo Castle. The stone foundations are still there and I wanted to see it as this was once the structure that overlooked old Edo and was the main feature of the castle. There's a lovely rest stop in the east gardens and if you just want to chill out and see the park , it's a nice leisurely stroll.

One word of advice. Skip the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It's a waste of time. Instead, stroll through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. It is much larger, more beautiful, and it's free! This place has all sorts of Japanese trees and plants and has a nice scenery/landscape. Make sure you bring a camera and take lots of photos. There are many benches to sit on too if you get tired.

Really beautiful palace. You don't get to go inside, but there's plenty of space outside for you to take pictures. Must visit if you're in Tokyo!

The east gardens is one of the best gardens I've ever been to. The tremendous gates and imperial museum inside are amazing to see. As you make your way through you come to a beautiful open field with cherry blossom trees all around. I spent an hour or two just taking in the different plants that line the exterior of the field. Probably one of my best memories of Japan.

Tranquil place. The garden is where I saw cherry blossoms. You need to make an appointment to see the inside of the imperial palace but it's free. :) I didn't get a chance to do that on this trip. Def a place to check out and put on your to-do list in Japan. :)

This is a lovely place to visit, just to relax and soak in the tranquility when the weather is not too hot, as there is no shade and consists of large areas out in the open. Nothing remains of the main buildings except the moats, walls, entrance gates and several guardhouses. Edo Castle was burnt down and what remains is the base of the former castle tower. From here you can view the large lawn stretching down below. To the right of it is the bamboo garden, which is quite interesting to see the different types of bamboo. To the left is the colourful Concert Hall built to celebrate the Empress's 60th birthday, an octagon shape building with the surrounding city skycrapers from the business and commercial centre, overpowering it You cannot enter the gardens from the Palace but you can enter via three other gates instead. We got the Metro to Otemachi Station and entered via Otemon Gate, where you pick up a "token" from the ticket office which you have to return when you leave. From here on the right is the small Museum of the Imperial Collections plus some guardhouses.

Lots of walking through the imperial palace so bring your comfy shoes and keep hydrated. There were many areas for pictures. We came during peak Sakura season and the blossoms just looked amazing. There were many good spots for selfies with the flowers. The place is so big that you don't really feel crowded, although a lot of people do come here, specially later during the day.

I've seen a lot of folks run around the outside of the gardens where it is hustling and bustling with people, buildings, and cars everywhere, but once you walk into the gates of the garden, you're immediately brought back into a more historical era. Once you walk in, you'll need to get a token before entering. Admission is free, but the token is for the location to keep count of the visitors. It's a great place to take a walk as the grounds are pretty large. I was visiting Tokyo with my friends early March and we were just a week early to see the cherry blossoms at full bloom. We were able to catch a few trees though. There were a lot of couples sitting on the grass and admiring the surroundings. I guess this is a popular place to take someone on a date. But on the other side of the spectrum, there were also a lot of tourists who were walking around as well. If you hike all the way in and make it to where the castle used to sit, you'll get an awesome view of the modern downtown Tokyo just outside of the garden gates.

You can easily spend a few hours walking around these gardens if you like to stop and take pictures. Lots of photo opportunities with the gardens, flowers, koi ponds, tea houses and other small buildings.

Everything is very spread out, so expect to walk a lot. Really cool area, lots of interesting history.

Nicely maintained paths. No trash but no trash cans either. Huge lawns to relax on, but only one spot inspires (Ninomaru). Relaxing after days touring the city.