Tokyo Private Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens, Edo Castle Site
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tokyo, Japan
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Save hours of researching and planning your Tokyo itinerary with this private tour. Your guide leads you through the Imperial Palace East Gardens, including Edo Castle Ruins, Ninomaru Garden, and Ote-mon Gate. Along the way, gain insight into Japan’s imperial history and enjoy memorable photo opportunities in a relaxed, personalized setting.
- Discover the wonders of the Imperial Palace East Gardens with this tour
- No getting lost: A guide takes care of navigating
- A guide provides insights you’d miss if exploring alone
- A private tour ensures a more personalized experience
What's Included
- tour guide
- Cooling towels for tours scheduled during the day
- Gratuities
- Admission to the Inner Palace.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Wadakura Fountain Park3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
Staff is waiting you in front of the fountain of Wadakura Fountain Park with sign board shows "gotcha". (walk 3 minutes from Tokyo metro Otemachi station exit D2 walk 10 minutes from Tokyo station Marunouchi central exit)
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Sakurada Tatsumi Yagura
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ōte-mon Gate
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Fujimi-yagura
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Honmaru Goten Rest House
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace - Edo Castle Ruin
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Ninomaru Garden
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- The tour does not go inside the Imperial Palace.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 163 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Audrey_D, Jul 2026
Good tour. Very informative. Enjoyed seeing the gardens. Tour took to east side of estate. Palace still occupied and unable to access that area.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour!
Mark_G, Jul 2026
My tour guide Haru did a great job, knew a tremendous amount about the site and history. We went at my own pace as tour was private and we did not have to accommodate a group. Guide went above and beyond by explaining some things about Japanese kanji writing system, and helping me find my train to my next destination. I would recommend this tour and this guide!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Haru's tour!
Christopher_Y, Jun 2026
Superb tour guide — friendly, professional and very accommodating. Great English speaker and conveyed a complicated history very fluidly.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed our tour!
Jennifer_R, Jun 2026
The tour guide never showed up. I was waiting and searching around the meeting point forever and couldn't find anyone.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Please accept our most sincere and deepest apologies for the unacceptable failure of our services regarding your Imperial Palace tour. We completely understand your anger and frustration, and we are profoundly sorry that our guide did not appear at the meeting point to welcome you.
First and foremost, we have processed a full refund for your tour. We kindly ask that you confirm the receipt at your earliest convenience.
Upon an urgent internal investigation, we identified a critical booking system error that occurred on June 2. This caused multiple conflicting schedule updates and ultimately led to a severe miscommunication in our guide assignment. However, we fully recognize that this internal issue does not excuse the fact that we failed you on your precious travel day and left you waiting in vain.
We take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are immediately reviewing our booking management system and operational procedures to ensure such a critical oversight never happens again.
We are truly heartbroken that we turned your highly anticipated tour into such a disappointing experience. Please accept our sincerest apologies once again for the immense distress we have caused you.
Kind regards,
Leslie_L, May 2026
Yumi was terrific. She was very knowledgeable. She was very kind and thoughtful! Yumi went out of her way to point out interesting facts. I recommend her highly!!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Yumi's tour!
Ryan_C, May 2026
Super fun and relaxing time walking through the gardens. Suzuki was a really knowledgeable and engaging guide who definitely made it worth the price of admission. Perfect duration and relaxing tour for our last day in Tokyo.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Suzuki's tour!
Amalia_F, May 2026
Akiyoshi was very friendly and knowledgeable. He shared useful context for the tour as well as insights into a local’s perspective that enhanced our visit tremendously. He took us through at a good pace. We enjoyed the tour very much!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Akiyoshi's tour!
wendi_r, May 2026
This was a great experience. Our tour guide (Haru) did a great job. She had visuals and shared lots of informations. We were a group of 5 ranging from 20 to 55 and everyone had a good time.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Haru's tour!
Simon_W, Apr 2026
Very nice and educational tour.
Nice to go at your own pace with a guide that makes sure you get the most out of your experience.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour!
James_W, Apr 2026
Awesome experience. Guide was very knowledgeable. Very friendly and easy to understand. English was very good.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour!
Marian_K, Apr 2026
Nice way to see the gardens and learn about the history. It was a pleasant and leisurely tour. Despite the walk, it was not rushed and it was easy even for senior folks like me.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed our tour!
Neil_S, Apr 2026
The best of the best. We have travel just about everywhere you imagine
But no one came even close to Hiroshi-san
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Hiroshi's tour!
Michael_P, Apr 2026
Very informative, well guided and most enjoyable. Beautiful and very historical and great to see all the cherry blossoms
Response from Host, Apr 2026
We truly appreciate your feedback! We are delighted you had a great time on our tour.
Abby_T, Apr 2026
This tour was one of our favorite parts of our Japan trip. Naoko was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. She thoughtfully answered our questions and made sure we had a great experience. This is a must do in Tokyo and make sure to request a tour with Naoko! She is the best!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Naoko's tour!
Christian_H, Apr 2026
Kaoru was the best! Knowledgeable about so many things and a wonderful personality. We had a blast touring the imperial gardens and it was really fun and informative for the whole family!!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Kaoru's tour!
Mindy_M, Mar 2026
This was an excellent tour, and my guide, Mikio, was terrific! Mikio was very knowledgeable about the history of the Imperial Palace and was incredibly generous with his time. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and I wanted to stop every 5 seconds to take photos-never once did he even sigh or roll his eyes. I was on the tour as a solo, and Mikio was happy to take my picture in front of trees any time I asked, and he even frequently volunteered to do so! In addition, he was a great guy-very kind and helpful. Mikio went above and beyond in so many ways.
Finally, I am also rating the tour company Gotcha, A+++. There was a delay on my side, due to a taxi driver taking me to the wrong address (he spoke no English, nor did I speak any Japanese); not only was Gotcha astonishingly accommodating, but the Gotcha agent spoke to the cabbie to help him get me to the meeting location (which Gotcha changed to accommodate the cabbie’s mistake).
Viator offers many different tour options, but if you sign up with Gotcha, and if you get Mikio as your guide, you will enjoy a premiere experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you very much for your wonderful review.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed Mikio's tour!
Matthew_P, Mar 2026
This Tour was full of great history and education of Edo Castle! Our tour guide is Amazing and I hope to get her again when we come back to Japan. Our tour guide came prepared and was very patient as we had a few train delays on the way. We were able to reach out and she waited for us. Make sure to be patient but also engage in questions and the guide will educate you.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
We truly appreciate your feedback! We are delighted you had a great time on our tour.
Meegan_J, Dec 2025
We had a two-hour private tour with Naoko around the beautiful and historic Imperial Palace east gardens. Naoko was lively, engaging and very informative about the history and culture of Japan. She was very professional but also friendly. It was such a pleasure learning from Naoko.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
We truly appreciate your feedback!We are delighted you had a great time on Naoko’s tour.
David_K, Nov 2025
Akiyoshi was generous in his discussion about history, Japanese life in general, and the ongoing role of the Imperial Family. The gardens and surrounds to the Palace are very peaceful and a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. We really enjoyed our tour.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the tour with Akiyoshi. Thank you for your feedback and for choosing us!
Stuart_C, Nov 2025
Our guide Shigeri was very knowledgeable regarding the history of Imperial Palace. He took the time to answer our many questions and actually had deep answers. We appreciated his patience.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for joining Shigeru’s tour! We’re delighted you had a great time.
Jeannie_F, Nov 2025
The guide spoke very little English. She was extremely difficult to understand and did not understand us. We stopped the tour after a miserable 45 minutes of not understanding her and finished touring the gardens by our selves.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. Please accept our deepest apologies for the communication difficulties you encountered and for the discomfort this caused during your visit. We deeply regret that we were not able to provide the enjoyable and informative experience you expected. Your comments will be shared with our team, and we will use them to improve our service so that we can offer a more satisfying experience for all our guests. Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Marcella_S, Oct 2025
We had an excellent time with Mikio. He was prompt, professional and his English was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable, clearly enjoys the subject and able to answer all of our questions.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the tour with Mikio.
Thank you for your feedback and for choosing us!
Alex_M, Sep 2025
This tour and our guide was fantastic, giving us a great understanding of Japanese tradition and the changes into modern day culture. Considering it was 35C the conditions were far from ideal, but we were provided with umbrellas and neck coolers to make our walk so much more comfortable.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your lovely review! We are glad that you've enjoyed our tour. Have a nice day!
John_S, Jul 2025
This was the ideal way to see the Imperial Palace East Gardens and site. We learned way more on this tour than we ever would have by ourselves. Yoshiko, our guide, made the experience really enjoyable despite the heat and sun. She was funny, charming and brought a lot of depth to her explanations about the site, the history of the area and the current royal family. Our highlight was the small outdoor tea ceremony and tutorial she gave us on how to prepare matcha in the traditional way.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! It is a great compliment for Yoshiko！She is glad that you
like the tour! Thank you very much! Have a nice day!
DuyHung_N, Jun 2025
We had a fantastic time with Mikio on our tour of the Imperial Palace East Gardens. He’s a kind and knowledgeable gentleman who brought the history of Tokyo to life with engaging stories and insights. His warm personality made the tour one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! It is a great compliment for Mikio! He is
glad that
you like the tour! Thank you very much! Have a nice day!
Christa_S, May 2025
Beautiful gardens! Ishida, our tourguide, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and spoke excellent English. We had a lovely time!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! It is a great compliment for us! we are glad that you
liked the tour! Thank you very much! Have a nice day!
Soraya_M, Apr 2025
Our tour guide brought the past to life, describing what the Imperial Gardens would have resembled during the Edo period.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for joining our tour. I'm really glad to you enjoyed with your guide. Hope your stay gonna be wonderful.
haleh_b, Apr 2025
This was a lovely tour of the imperial palace grounds with our guide, Naoko. She was so pleasant and knowledgeable and she spoke perfect English. Highly recommend this booking while in Tokyo.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! It is a great compliment for NAOKO! She is glad that you liked the tour and very happy to hear your comment! Thank you very much! Hope you have a wonderful vacation here in Japan!😉
Jennifer_G, Apr 2025
Our family has a great morning tour with Mr. Hirashima. During the walk, he shared a lot of history with us.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! It is a great compliment for Hirashima! He is glad that you
liked the tour and very happy to hear your comment! Thank you very much! Hope you
have a wonderful vacation here in Japan!
Ellen_C, Apr 2025
If you want historical context for your travel in Japan, this is the tour for you. We learned a lot and it made our trip more meaningful.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your lovely comment! Shigeru is glad that you liked the tour. Hope you have a nice vacation here in Japan!
From $34.63
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Tokyo Private Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens, Edo Castle Site
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