Tokyo Castle & Imperial Palace - Shogun Walking Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tokyo, Japan
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
While it’s certainly possible to explore Edo Castle and the Imperial Palace on your own, a guided tour will help you learn much more about each landmark’s historical significance. On this walking tour, discover 2,600 years of Japanese history as you learn about the Emperors that shaped the country, samurai, and the shoguns.
- A chance to relax in the castle’s traditional Japanese garden
- Walking tours help you spot details you’d otherwise miss
- A great opportunity to pick up some souvenirs at the palace gift shop
- Your guide will point out the best spots for photos of the castle and palace
What's Included
- Guided walking tour
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
Meet in front of Starbucks Coffee Kōkyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park Store. There will be a guide holding a sign that says "Local Guide Stars" Address: 3-1 Kōkyo Gaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo https://maps.app.goo.gl/Caab3X6fhK6yaU4QA
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Sakurada Tatsumi Yagura
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kokyo Otemon Gate
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Constable Guardhouse
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Obansho Guardhouse
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Fujimi-yagura
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Kokyo Sannomaru Shozokan
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace - Edo Castle Ruin
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Ninomaru Garden
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Tokyo Central Railway Station (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- There is a security check to enter the Imperial Palace. Please do not bring knives or alcohol.
- The Emperor's residence is not open to the public.
- There are no health restrictions, but please note that you will need to walk up steep slopes and stairs.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 1,876 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
There were about 30 people total who booked the 9 AM tour but we were split into smaller groups each managed by its own guide. So the ratio was ~8-10 people per 1 guide. This was really great since you could always hear the guide (in my case, Ichiro) and nobody got lost along the way. I passed by tours with other companies who had 20+ people and 1 guide. I'd recommend the 8 or 9 AM tour if possible, just because it was much less crowded. There were noticeably more crowds at 10:30 when we left compared to when we arrived.
Ichiro was a wonderful guide. He answered everyone's spontaneous questions as we progressed in the tour and was very knowledgeable about the various sites. It was nice to be brought to the key places at such a large park and Ichiro was able to provide culture knowledge beyond the written placard which made everything more meaningful.
TLDR - You can walk the gardens on your own for free - there are placards along the way in English & Japanese. By choosing this tour, you have someone adding context and guiding you in a logical flow through the various points of interest. I found these additions worth the $15 it cost me.
Thorough details, patient with questions. I wouldn’t recommend doing the Imperial Palace without this knowledgeable guide.
Kodak was our guide and was very knowledgeable and lovely. The walk and garden took us throughout the imperial palace to main landmarks. Despite the rain it was still very nice!
Very enjoyable and informative, covered a lot of different topics and was well paced. It was great to be able to see such an historic place and get all the information we could want from our great guide!
It was nice to have the history and facts about the sights we saw. Miho did an excellent job of not only explaining the history but also answering questions about differences between the past and now.
Omer delivered a wonderful tour and informative history of the Imperial Family, the history of the role of the shogun, the samurai, and the purpose of the garden. He was able to answer our questions. He was engaging, professional and amiable. He kept to the itinerary even though we were late and he was very gracious about it. Thank you Omer for the excellent tour! A+
Our guide, Kodai was so patient and knowledgable! He also took us to all the best photo spots and took plenty of pictures for us.
We really loved our tour and tour guide. Very informative and interesting. Tour guide gaves us candy to try as well. Highly recommended.
It was a good opportunity to learn more about the history of Japan, the different time eras and the life of Shogun. It was a nice stroll around the area and our guide, Ms Keiko, was great.
Tomo is friendly and knowledgeable. He gave great information on the palace and Japan.
Very good at answering questions.
Our guide Kazuki was really nice, we expected to see more from an Imperial Palace itself, more items, details etc
Had an enjoyable walk through the grounds of the imperial palace. Fuma was very kind and we enjoyed his explanations
It’s a short walking tour. Castle itself was destroyed so all you see is the base. The grounds are large though. Tour guide was friendly.
We had no problem meeting the guide (Helen) whom was very nice. She was wise enough to stop in the shade for each brief talk. I'd allow some time after the tour to explore the gardens further.
It was somewhat informative
Language was somewhat of a barrier
Description was somewhat misleading
Was under the assumption that we’d see more of the palace
A lot of slow pace walking. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Tokyo. The afternoon is quite compared to morning queues
We went on a morning walking tour of the Imperial Palace gardens. It is not possible to visit the palace itself. Shin was our guide. She was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and explained the history the gardens. It was a very enjoyable morning.
There is no real palace. It got destroyed by a fire and was not got rebuilt. Don’t waste your time, The tour guide said this at the end,
Very convenient and punctual and our tour guide ( Tomo) was exceptional with so much excellent information to share
May was very knowledgeable and had answers to all of the questions we threw her way. Was paced well. Took 2 hours from start to finish with a break in the middle to use the bathroom or buy a drink. Did not feel rushed and was very enjoyable. Will note the tour is around the east garden which is the only area accessible to tourists (for the most part). Was more than enough
Excellent tour! The guide was bursting with historical and local facts and knowledge! Really enjoyed the tour. Recommend it
Helen was a great host, very informative and the pictures were great. Would book a tour with her again!
Very interesting and informative tour. Mei was our guide and she provided a lot of insight, historical facts and explanations. The your is about 2 hours, but we’ve covered a lot.
Nothing beats a good explainer to “get” a place. We would never have understood this visit on our own.
Some fairly steep uphill and downhill walks. Learned a lot about Shotgun. Clean well kept up venue. Enjoyed this tour.
Short and sweet walking tour of some of the gates, historic buildings and outer garden. Our tour guide, Ai, was professional and knowledgeable and provided engaging commentary on each of the attractions. A fun time with plenty of opportunities for good photos
AI was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide of the palace grounds. Great history and beautiful gardens.
Tomo was excellent - so knowledgable & so accomodating. Gave us the best tour & an amazing personality. We definitely recommend this tour with Tomo for anyone wanting to take a walk-by tour of the Imperial Palace Grounds.
Anju gave us a wonderful and insightful tour. It was beautiful and enjoyable and educational! Loved learning the history and seeing the gorgeous sights.
Our guide Keiko was fabulous! Full of interesting stories about the history of Edo and the Imperial palace and shoguns. She even carried laminated pictures of past hounds layouts and guard towers and even the Royal family. Learned so much! And she made it fun. Highly recommend this tour and Keiko!
Member Pricing
From
$12.35
per personWas $13.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Member Pricing
Tokyo Castle & Imperial Palace - Shogun Walking Tour
1,876
2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$13.00
$12.35
5% savings
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
Attractions in Tokyo, Japan
- Tokyo Station (Tokyo Eki) Tours & Tickets
- Edo Wonderland (Nikko Edomura) Tours & Tickets
- Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan) Tours & Tickets
- Denboin Street (Denboin-dori) Tours & Tickets
- Zojo-ji Temple Tours & Tickets
- Owakudani Tours & Tickets
- Hama Rikyu Gardens Tours & Tickets
- Ginza Six Tours & Tickets
- Akasaka Palace (State Guest House) Tours & Tickets
- Aokigahara Forest Tours & Tickets
- National Art Center Tokyo (NACT) Tours & Tickets
- Yoyogi Park (Yoyogi Koen) Tours & Tickets
- Wako Ginza Tours & Tickets