Imperial Palace & Edo Castle Walking Tour with a Local Guide Tokyo

Sakurada Tatsumi Yagura and the inner moat

The tour starts with one of the best views in central Tokyo: Sakurada Tatsumi Yagura, a two-storey white turret rising from the stone walls at the south-east corner of the inner moat. Tatsumi is the old Japanese name for the south-east direction, and the turret guarded this corner of the castle for centuries. With its curved roofs reflected in the still water and the high-rises of Marunouchi behind it, it is a favourite photo stop.

Here your local guide explains the scale of Edo Castle, whose outer moats once spread across much of today's central Tokyo and whose rings of walls were never breached by an enemy army. You also learn how the canals around it carried stone, rice and timber into the shogun's capital. It is the perfect introduction to an Edo Castle walking tour.

Ote-mon Gate, entrance to the shogun's castle

Ote-mon was the grand front gate of Edo Castle. Feudal lords from every province had to spend alternate years in Edo, and on audience days their processions crossed the bridge here and passed through the gate on foot. The gate follows the masugata plan: a square stone courtyard between two gates that forced attackers to stop and turn under fire from the walls above.

Destroyed in the air raids of 1945, the wooden gatehouse was rebuilt in 1967 on its original stone base, and the old roof ornament, a carved fish-like guardian, is displayed just inside. There is a short security check at this entrance, so leave knives at the hotel. Your guide uses the gate to explain the strict rules of the samurai society that kept the country at peace for around 260 years.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace and Japan's imperial line

In 1868 the shogunate came to an end, the emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo and the city was renamed Tokyo, meaning eastern capital. The western part of the old castle became the Imperial Palace, still the residence of the emperor today. The inner palace is open to the public only on a few special days, but the grounds, gates and bridges give a strong sense of the place.

Your guide tells the story of Japan's imperial family, which by tradition traces its line back more than two and a half thousand years, making it the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world. You learn how it survived centuries in which shoguns held the real power, and what the emperor's role is today. Many visitors ask whether a guided Imperial Palace tour in Tokyo is worth it; these stories are why.

Edo Castle ruins and the miniature castle model

Inside the walls lies the Honmaru, the main enclosure where the shogun's vast palace once stood. Fires in the Edo period and the late 1800s swept the buildings away, leaving lawns, pine trees and the huge granite base of the castle tower. That tower, completed in the 1600s, was the tallest castle keep ever built in Japan, and after it burned in 1657 it was never replaced.

In a rest house nearby, a detailed miniature model shows the tower as it once looked, with five roofs and gleaming ornaments, and your guide uses it to bring the empty foundation to life. Climb onto the stone base for a broad view across the Edo Castle ruins and the modern city skyline. This is the part of the tour where the castle's real size becomes clear.

Ninomaru Garden and the Imperial Palace East Gardens

The Imperial Palace East Gardens cover the former inner enclosures of the castle and are open to visitors most days. Their jewel is the Ninomaru Garden, a strolling garden built around a pond with stone lanterns, small bridges and a waterfall. Koi in red, gold and white swim close to the edge, and the flowers change with the seasons, from spring azaleas to June irises and autumn maples.

Nearby stands a grove planted with the official trees of each of Japan's prefectures, a living map of the country's forests that your guide enjoys explaining. The East Gardens are closed on Mondays and Fridays, so check the opening days before planning. The tour ends with a walk back to Wadakura Fountain Park, just a few minutes from Tokyo Station.