Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France / CC BY 2.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
The East Gardens are the part of the Imperial Palace anyone can walk into, free, without a tour. The Imperial Household Agency, which runs them, says they use parts of the former Honmaru, Ninomaru and Sannomaru areas of Edo Castle and have been open to the public since 1968. What survives is the layout: stone walls, gates and guardhouses, and the base of the keep that once stood over the city.
You enter through Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon or Kitahanebashi-mon gate, walk up through the guardhouses, cross the broad lawn of the old Honmaru and climb the stone base of the keep (Tenshudai). There is a Ninomaru Garden, an iris garden, a plum slope, and the Suwa no Chaya teahouse. The agency also lists the Sannomaru Shozokan, a museum of the imperial collections, and the Tokagakudo concert hall. The agency's map marks 29 numbered points, so a loop is easy to plan.
The catch is the closing days. The gardens are shut every Monday and Friday, and the last entry in October is 16:00 (15:30 from November), which suits a morning arrival and does not suit a late start. The agency's map shows a teahouse and rest stops but no restaurants, so lunch is Ginza, which the Harumi bus serves.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Check the weekday first. Monday and Friday are closed; when a Monday is a national holiday it opens that day and closes on the Tuesday.
- Allow time at the gate: the agency says baggage inspection is carried out at the entrance and suggests leaving bags in a locker or hotel.
- Pick your gate: Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon and Kitahanebashi-mon are the three entrance gates the agency lists.
- Last entry in October is 16:00 (the garden closes 16:30), and in November it drops to 15:30 (closes 16:00).
- The agency offers a free audio-guide app and illustrated maps on its site; download them before you go.
The agency's map marks 29 numbered points, so a loop is easy to plan.
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Questions people ask here
Is the Imperial Palace East Gardens free, and when is it closed?
Entry is free. It is closed every Monday and Friday (open on a national holiday, but closed the following day when the holiday is a Monday), 28 December to 3 January, and on other days when court functions require. Hours are 9:00 to 16:30 in October, with entry to 16:00; from November to February 9:00 to 16:00, entry to 15:30.
How do I get from the Tokyo cruise terminal to the East Gardens?
Take the Yurikamome to Shimbashi and JR to Tokyo Station (about 30 minutes in a route-planner sample, ¥543 IC), or the Toei bus 都05-1 from Harumi Futo to Tokyo Station Marunouchi South (about 30 minutes). Some calls also have a free shuttle to Tokyo Station. The walk from Tokyo Station to Ote-mon gate is unverified.
Can I go inside the palace buildings?
The East Gardens are the free, open part, with guardhouses and the Sannomaru Shozokan museum. The inner palace grounds are visited on separate guided tours that need an application to the Agency, and we have not verified their current terms.