Tokyo Castle, Imperial Palace, Shogun & Garden Walking Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Tokyo, Japan
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Exploring Tokyo’s Imperial Palace can be overwhelming without extensive research, but this guided tour simplifies everything. Enjoy a relaxed stroll through stunning gardens, discover the palace's rich history, and get insider tips on the best photo spots. With a guide leading the way, you can effortlessly immerse yourself in Japan’s cultural and historical treasures.
- Explore the grounds of the Imperial Palace with a guide
- Group size, with a limit of just Fifteen travelers
- Learn fascinating insights about Japan’s history
- Benefit from having someone to lead the way so you don’t get lost
What's Included
- Guided walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds with a friendly local guide
- Small group for a more exclusive experience
- Visit to Ōtemon Gate, guardhouse ruins and Ninomaru Garden
- Stories from guide about Edo history, samurai era and modern Tokyo
- We know the best photo spots (just ask your guide)
- No dress code, tattoos welcome
- Learn Japan’s history while having fun!
- Access to the Inner Palace (note: not open to the public)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
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 :)
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace - Edo Castle Ruin
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Wadakura Fountain Park (Pass By)
Wadakuramon (Pass By)
Remains of Wadakuramon Gate Guardhouse (Pass By)
Crown Prince Marriage Monument (Pass By)
Imperial Palace (Pass By)
Kokyo Gaien National Garden (Pass By)
Kokyo Otemon Gate (Pass By)
Kokyo Sannomaru Shozokan (Pass By)
Ninomaru Garden (Pass By)
Kokyo Sannomaru Shozokan (Pass By)
Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse (Pass By)
Chiyoda (Pass By)
Tokyo (Pass By)
Tayasumon Yagura (Pass By)
Kikyo Gate (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
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 259 reviews
Annie_B, Mar 2026
Our walking tour of the Imperial Palace (Tokyo) was wonderful. Our amazing tour guide, Mayu, shared historical and current facts with us. She was very informative. She took her time to answer questions our group had regarding the palace. We give her a 10 !
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great time exploring the Imperial Palace with Mayu. It’s lovely to know you enjoyed her insights and that she made the experience both informative and engaging.
We’ll be sure to share your “10” with her, she’ll be absolutely delighted! :)
Christopher_H, Mar 2026
Mayu was a fantastic and knowledgeable tour guide. She was very approachable and welcoming of our questions. Her English is excellent!! Tour was well paced and the Palace grounds are well maintained and beautiful. I hope to see it again one day when later into spring with everything blooming.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour with Mayu and appreciated her knowledge and warm approach. We hope you’ll come back to see the gardens in full bloom next time 🌸
Mena, Mar 2026
Alex was great!! Very knowledgeable!! Loved it!! I would recommend this tour as the gardens were amazing! Buildings were impressive.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you!!!! We’re so happy to hear you had such a great time with Alex and enjoyed the beauty of the gardens and the impressive buildings. Your recommendation truly means a lot to us! :)
Sundeep_S, Mar 2026
Nico was absolutely fantastic. He was engaging, interesting anecdotes and not at all rushed. Incredibly knowledgeable and made the history of Tokyo really come to life. I would strongly recommend
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Your review means a lot to us! Thank you so much, we are so glad you had so much fun exploring the Imperial Palace gardens while learning more about Japan with Nico! :)
Mark_H, Mar 2026
Alexander was fantastic! Provide such great information Japanese history to put everything in perspective. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much, your feedback truly means a lot to us! We wish you an amazing stay in Japan! :)
karen_m, Mar 2026
The guide provides a complete history of the samurai, shoguns and royal family. He is fluent in English, and it is an easy going tout
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for this amazing feedback!
arnold_N, Mar 2026
Great history tour. The place was beautiful and the garden was peaceful and zen like. Nikko was fantastic.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much, we are so glad you had such a great time :)
Alya_P, Feb 2026
Loved our guide and learned so much history about the place. The tour definitely made me appreciate the place a lot more!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for this lovely review! It means a lot to us :)
Thomas_B, Jan 2026
The tour was excellent. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, and had great answers to many of our questions. The only hesitation I have is that there just isn't much to see, because they never rebuilt after it was destroyed. So while an excellent tour, perhaps not a top priority for your first time in tokyo
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and that your guide’s knowledge and thoughtful answers made it a great experience. We also appreciate your honest perspective about the site itself. It’s true that its value lies more in the history and context than in what can be physically seen today. Your feedback is very helpful, and we’re grateful you joined us!
Yvette_W, Jan 2026
Mika was our wonderful and pleasant tour guide for the morning tour. She was engaging and kept the interest of my 11, 13, and 15 year old boys with a lot of Japanese historical references. We learned a lot while exploring the beautiful grounds. She took good family photos and recommended a delicious local soba spot for lunch. It was a memorable morning to end our Japan trip.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re really happy to hear you and your boys enjoyed the tour with Mika. She’ll be so glad to know she helped make your last morning in Japan special. Wishing you a great journey home, and hopefully we’ll see you again one day!
Jordan_S, Nov 2025
We had a great time on this tour with our guide, Natsumi. She was so lovely and provided so much information about the palace and the related history. We definitely got more out of this experience because of her than had we just walked around by ourselves. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Your feedback is really amazing! Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your experience! Thank you for the recommendation too! :)
Peace_S, Oct 2025
Our guide Natsume was very knowledgeable about edo period history and led us through the absolutely stunning imperial gardens. She was also kind enough to share her knowledge of local restaurants and shrines. Very good tour that I would highly recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your feedback and recommandation! This is so nice that Natsumi could share her tips in addition to the tour! We wish you a wonderful stay in Japan !
Susan_L, Oct 2025
Very educational and a pace that allowed for questions and pictures. Guide was excellent and easy to understand. Most tours do not include entrance to the actual palace grounds- this tour does and it’s definitely worth it.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear Susan, your feedback means a lot, and we’re so glad it made your visit memorable! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Michael_H, Oct 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed the stroll around The Imperial Gardens. Nico, our guide was very knowledgeable. The gardens were lush & green & the koi were beautiful. Without Nico’s knowledge, we would have been oblivious to the history & meaning of the site. Thank you Nico for the great morning.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🌿We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed your walk through the Imperial Gardens with Nicolas. His passion for Japanese history and his way of bringing every detail to life make each visit truly special. The gardens are such a peaceful spot, and yes, the koi are always a highlight! Thanks again !
Susan_T, Oct 2025
Nicola did an exceptional job sharing info about the eras and palace gardens and palace grounds. Highly recommend
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear Susan, thank you so much for this great feedback and your recommandation! We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Nicolas <3
asintas, Aug 2025
Lakki was a great guide with incredible knowledge of history and the palace. Great experience and we learned and saw a lot!
Scott_F, Jul 2025
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.
Birgitte_A, Jun 2025
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.
Bernard_L, Jun 2025
Very nice gardens! Also some practical information about castle defenses if you think you'll be under siege someday.
Julianna_L, Jun 2025
We had an excellent historical tour of rhe imperial palace grounds. Mika our guide shared images and maps to help us understand what we were seeing along to better understand the historical significance.
Anonymous, May 2025
Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided important historical context that helped us visualize and understand better everything we were visiting. Touring the palace grounds with a guide makes all the difference; otherwise, you might be a little disappointed because most of the structures have been destroyed.
Ammar_A, May 2025
Nice and calm walk through the imperial palace grounds. Perfect for an easy stroll on a not so busy day.
Jorge_T, May 2025
Entertaining and informative tour; guide was very knowledgeable, professional and engaging. A positive experience.
Gabriel_S, Apr 2025
Our guide was super knowledgeable and gave us an incredible tour filled with very interesting facts! We loved getting to know about the history of the place!
Janice_w, Apr 2025
Lakki was a great tour guide. He has a wealth of knowledge about shogun history. We learned so much. The Imperial Palace gardens are beautiful! This tour is worth taking.
David_T, Apr 2025
We really enjoyed our tour with Natsumi of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. In spite of it being a rainy day, the grounds were spectacular and Natsumi was very knowledgeable about the history of Japan and how Tokyo and the Imperial Palace become the center of leadership for the country. We enjoyed learning about how the emperor intersected with the shogunate structure and the design of the original palace, Edo Castle. On the Imperial Palace grounds there are beautiful views everywhere you look and Natsumi was great about finding great spots for perfect pictures and happily took photos for group members. We loved our time on this tour with Natsumi!
Isobel_A, Apr 2025
Perfect day for our trip round the beautiful Imperial Palace gardens in Cherry Blossom time Lakky is very knowledgeable and informative so was able to engage our interest in the history of this beautiful place
Thomas_N, Apr 2025
Knowledgeable guide. I thought this tour included the palace, but it did not. Only reason I booked the tour was to see the palace as palace tours were sold out on the palace website.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Thomas :)
Thanks for the review! We’re happy you enjoyed the tour :)
Just to clarify, no one can enter the Imperial Palace itself, only the Emperor and his family have access to that part.
Our tour focuses on the Eastern Gardens and the history of the old Edo Castle, which has so many fascinating stories to tell :)
We totally get your disappointment, and we’ll be sure to make this clearer for future guests. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to see you on another tour soon! 😊
Best Regards,
Nikolai & Kaho
CEO´s Sunrise Adventure
Joseph_W, Mar 2025
The weather for the tour wasn’t ideal but it was made up by our amazing tour guide. She was detailed, answered every question with great detail, and super friendly! We had a great time learning about the history of the Shogun and I would do this tour again in a heartbeat!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're so happy to hear that despite the weather, our guide made your experience memorable. It's great to know you enjoyed learning about the Shogun history. We’d love to have you back on another tour anytime!
Kosta_P, Feb 2025
Mika, our guide was very friendly, personable and knowledgeable. The palace grounds themselves were nice but unfortunately the emperor’s palace had burned down in the 1600s all that’s left is the base.
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