Attraction
Senso-ji
Tokyo's oldest and most visited Buddhist temple, reached through the Kaminarimon gate and the shop-lined Nakamise approach in historic Asakusa.
Imperial Palace East Gardens
The public gardens of the Imperial Palace, laid out on the Honmaru and Ninomaru grounds of the former Edo Castle in central Tokyo.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic garden
- Area
- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
- Official site
- kikuyou.or.jp
- Last checked
- October 23, 2026
Good to know
- Three entrance gates
- Museum of the Imperial Collections
Why we recommend it
The East Gardens are the most accessible part of the Imperial Palace and a calm counterpoint to the office towers around Tokyo Station. They occupy the inner precincts of Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns, and you can still climb the massive stone base of the castle's main keep. Elsewhere there is a wide central lawn, a Japanese garden in the Ninomaru area, a grove of trees from every prefecture, plum and cherry trees, and an iris garden.
You can enter through the Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon or Kitahanebashi-mon gates. The gardens are closed on Mondays and Fridays (except most national holidays) and over the New Year, and closing times change through the year, from 16:00 in winter to 18:00 in summer, with last entry 30 minutes before. Ote-mon is an easy walk from Otemachi Station, and the Sannomaru Shozokan museum near the entrance is worth a look.
Reviewed by Lifestylemetro · Details checked October 23, 2026
Imperial Palace East Gardens FAQs
Which days are the gardens closed?
Mondays and Fridays (except most national holidays), 28 December to 3 January, and on occasional unavoidable closures.
Where do you enter?
Through the Ote-mon, Hirakawa-mon or Kitahanebashi-mon gates.