Tokyo Private Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens&Edo Castle Ruins
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tokyo, Japan
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
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
- 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 (Gate to the East Gardens)
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 138 reviews
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!
Anna_B, Feb 2025
Shigeru was a great guide through the East Imperial Gardens. He was very detailed about each part of the garden. He was very well educated about plants. And me and my son were vary happy about the tour with Shigeru.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for choosing gotcha! We are happy to receive your warm comments. We’ll be
sure to share your kind words with your guide - Shigeru san. 😊
Many plants and flowers bloom in the East Gardens each season.
And in March and April the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and are very beautiful.🌸
We hope you will visit Japan again with your family.😉
Linda_M, Feb 2025
Very educational, and a beautiful space away from the busy city. We learned a lot about the history of the castle and Japan in general. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave us an understanding that we never would have gotten on our own.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for choosing Gotcha! We are happy to receive your warm comments. We’ll be
sure to share your kind words with our guide. We look forward to seeing you again!
randims, Nov 2024
Our guide Naoko was charming and knowledgable. But to be honest, the name of the tour led us to believe that we'd see the Imperial palace and the gardens there. But instead we paid for a tour of gardens that are free to the public and information is freely available.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for your comment! and thanks for your suggestion! We appreciate it!
We believe that you enjoyed this tour and have learned history and culture about Japan.
Actually, there are 4 parts of the Imperial Palace, including the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Also, there is a statement under 'What's Included' section, says 'admission to the Inner Palace is not included'.
We are going to add some specific statements for more details. Thanks again for your comments and suggestion! Hope you have a nice day!
Alicia_M, Nov 2024
That there is no access to the imperial Palace, rather only the east Gardens. When offering a tour, it’s important to share all details.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for your kind 5-STAR comment! and thanks for your suggestion! We appreciate it!
We believe that you enjoyed this tour and have learned history and culture about Japan.
Actually, there are 4 parts of the Imperial Palace, including the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Also, there is a statement under 'What's Included' section, says 'admission to the Inner Palace is not included'.
We are going to add some specific statements for more details. Thanks again for your comments and suggestion! Hope you have a nice day!
Ana_R, Oct 2024
Our tour guide Ishida Katsura was very nice. He explained history of Japan in detail. The gardens are beautiful .
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you for choosing gotcha!
We're glad that you like the tour and our guide!
Mr. Ishida will be very happy to know your nice comment! We're looking forward to serving you again!
reneezwikielberg, Sep 2024
Thank you very much to Taka who was our guide. He made our tour very enjoyable and brought the Imperial Palace to life with his knowledge and perspective.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We're so happy to hear that you spent good time
through the tour with our guide. We look forward to welcoming you on another tour soon!
BRIAN_R, Aug 2024
This was an amazing tour. They did a great job bringing the history to life and explaining things clearly. We took a good break in the garden since the weather was so hot. Overall would highly recommend for learning more about this landmark.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for choosing gotcha and we are glad that you've had a great time with our guide Mr.Ishida at the Imperial Palace East Garden. Your comment means a lot to us and our guide! We are looking forward to see you again!
Luke_B, Jun 2024
Met us on time and went through the tour at the pace that we wanted. We are fast walkers and she went our pace and gave us all the info we wanted and was great!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We're so happy to hear that you spent good time through the tour with our guide. We look forward to welcoming you on another tour soon!
maylet_g, Feb 2025
Nuestro guía en este recorrido , Shigeru, superó nuestras expectativas, muy amable con mucho conocimiento del tema y sobre todo nos impactó que el mismo hizo unos recuerdos con papel japonés y nos dio este gran recuerdo !!!
Recomendamos hacer este recorrido con el señor Shigeru , estarán felices de todo lo que aprenderán y de conocerlo . Gracias
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Nos alegramos mucho de recibir sus comentarios tan lindos a nuestro guía Señor Shigeru, y hayan gustado nuestro tour. Se lo diremos a él.😊
Likely to Sell Out
From $63.28
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Likely to Sell Out
Tokyo Private Tour: Imperial Palace East Gardens&Edo Castle Ruins
137
2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$63.28
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Tokyo, Japan
- Hozomon Gate Tours & Tickets
- Edo Wonderland (Nikko Edomura) Tours & Tickets
- Tokyo Imperial Palace Tours & Tickets
- National Museum of Western Art Tours & Tickets
- Odaiba Seaside Park (Odaiba Kaihin Koen) Tours & Tickets
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Tours & Tickets
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office (TMG) Tours & Tickets
- Shibamata Tours & Tickets
- Kappabashi (Kitchen Town) Tours & Tickets
- Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan) Tours & Tickets
- Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum Tours & Tickets
- Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Tours & Tickets
- Owakudani Tours & Tickets
- Toyosu Fish Market Tours & Tickets
- Tokyo DisneySea® Tours & Tickets
- 21_21 Design Sight Tours & Tickets