Imperial Palace Tour: Tokyo's Historic Heart

Enter the realm of the Shogun, where his aspirations laid the groundwork for contemporary Japan! Discover how Japan evolved into its current form while touring the Eastern Gardens with our English-speaking guide!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (Edo Castle Ruin) - Start your walking tour by meeting the guide at Starbucks in Wadakuramon Park! Together, walk towards the impressive main gate (Otemon) of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. As you enter, follow the guide on an engaging journey around the palace grounds and eastern garden! (The main castle no…
What's Included
  • Guided walking tour explaining the history of Japan
  • Interactive and friendly English-speaking guide
  • Great photo spots
  • Beautiful garden
  • One-of-a-kind royal koi fish
  • Bamboo forest
  • Guide who can help with other travel tips
What's Not Included
  • Access to the Inner Palace (note: not open to the public)
Location
Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park
Take the train to Tokyo station, from there it is only a 5-10 minute walk to the Wadakuramon fountain park. In the park, head to the Starbucks where your guide will be waiting for you. The guide will be holding a sign with "Sunrise Adventure´s" logo :)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(107 Ratings)
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Genevaland
Jul 27, 2025
Interesting tour - I highly recommend this tour - it's just two hours but you do learn a lot and walk a good distance, too. Nicolas was a great guide and made the tour interesting. He even offered us fans to use for the hot weather and bug spray, which was so needed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scott_f
Jul 27, 2025
Good walking tour and guide! - Good tour off the east side of the imperial palace grounds. For those not familiar with the palace the place is huge (so walking in the summer heat or cold are not recommened for the unprepared) and split into east and west sides AND the private residence of the emperor and his family are not open to the public. So taking that into account and your want tp learn about Japanese and the palace's history this is a good 2 hour+ walking tour through the grounds and gardens. You'll see both original and reconstructed structures and get a sense of the long and impressive history of Japan. Our guide Lakki was awesome too. He went the extra mile from greating us via Whats App before the tour, tips to prepare for the hot day, extra videos and information before and after the tour, friendly personality and very knowledgable. He provide the extra context needed to understand what we were seeing to leading us to great spots for pictures and taking group pictures for those that don't like doing selfies. Overall a good experience and I recommend this tour as a way to see the east side highlight of the palace. 2 hours was a good length especially given the summer heat and Lakki also new good spots to cool off or stay in the shade. I asked him what's the best time to visit and he said it depends, Summer is hot but its also the least crowded and it can get very crowded with long lines at the gates when its cooler. If you can manage the heat (bring an umbrella and good fan) its nicer to have the place to yourselves.
Review provided by Viator
Jobartle
Jul 9, 2025
Walk about the Imperial Grounds - Had a nice tour with a very friendly, knowledgeable guide. Would recommend if you are interested in Japanese history or just want to walk around the gardens with a guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monant7033jy
Jul 9, 2025
Amazing tour - We truly enjoyed this tour. Our tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, easy to understand and answered any questions that we had.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maps758015
Jul 2, 2025
Wonderful Tour of the Imperial Palace Grounds - If you are visiting Tokyo, this tour is a must. Fun, interesting, and beautiful! Our tour guide, Nicolas, was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and engaging. If you can request a guide, ask for him! Regardless, you will love touring these grounds and learning about Japanese history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G7099rstimh
Jun 29, 2025
Great Guide - Our guide Lucky was very friendly and helpful, and provided a lot of interesting detail about the Palace grounds and Japanese history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Birgitte_a
Jun 26, 2025
Tour of the East Imperial Gardens - Japanese historical knowledge must do! - Excellent tour through the east Imperial Garden. Our wonderful guide Natsumi explained the Japanese history of the Edo era and how the Shoguns and Emperors influenced modern Japan. She tied this in with the past use of the property. She brought photos and diagrams to illustrate imperial lineage and architectural details which were useful in understanding various aspects of what we were seeing. She was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions and could provide interesting detail about the background of historical events. She really brought the past to life for us. She also spoke beautiful English and at the end of the tour provided us with recommendations for other things we should look into during our trip to Japan. She made the tour very special.
Review provided by Viator
Christinach6765ub
Jun 25, 2025
Information of its best! - We really enjoyed the tour, a lot of information that was helpful on our further tours. Explaining the symbols on houses!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ikatsnel
Jun 21, 2025
Knowledgable guide - There was a lot of information. Perhaps a bit too much because my kids were getting bored. Some juicy details or simple information about the daily life of the emperor and his entourage would be interesting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carol
Jul 7, 2025
Interesting history! - Our tour guide, Arief is friendly and knows his stuff well. The palace garden is a bonus for us all after walking in the scorching heat. It was nice, we had a nice group and enjoyed the tour😉
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $40
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).