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Kyoto Imperial Palace Park "Kyoto Gyoen" is a large, peaceful area in the center of Kyoto, centered around the Imperial Palace.
It is 1.3km from North to South and 0.7km from East to West, and is open to everyone anytime. This area was Court Nobles Residential Area in the Edo period. If you're in Kyoto for an extended amount of time, the park can make for a very pleasant afternoon, and it is large enough to let you forget the noise of the city outside the walls. The Park is home to 50,000 trees, including Cherry, Plum and Peach tree orchards "mostly in the northern section". |
South Gate Of Main Building
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Kyoto Imperial Palace "Kyoto Gosho" is the former ruling palace of the Emperor of Japan. The emperors have resided at the "Tokyo Imperial Palace" since 1869 "Meiji Restoration". The Palace is a walled compound containing several buildings built in the classical Japanese style.
The Imperial Palace is a reconstruction dating from 1855, though the Emperor doesn't actually spend much time there, and the guided tour doesn't actually enter the Palace buildings, only peeking at them from the outside, but nevertheless, it provides interesting insight into the lives of the Imperial Court and it's the only Imperial site in Kyoto that offers English guides. |
Kyoto Imperial Palace - Seen From South
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The Palaces are only open to visitors on free guided tours, and bookings must be made at the Imperial Household Agency, online or in their office to the west of the palace complex.
Show up an hour before the tour at the Imperial Household Agency building, and they'll let you join if there's space, or make a booking for another day if there isn't. If you don't want to chance it, advance bookings can also be made online through the Imperial Household Agency's official website. Entrance is free. |
Garden And Pond
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Sento Imperial Palace is also located within the grounds of Kyoto's Imperial Palace Park.
It is a large garden "89,000 square meters", which served as the residence of retired emperors. Today only two Sento structures, the "Seika-tei" and "Yushin-tei" teahouses, remain. The Sento Imperial Palace is arguably the most competitive for reservations, because this is the palace where the present Imperial family stays when in Kyoto. Kyoto Imperial Palace AccessKyoto Imperial Palace is a ten minutes’ subway ride from Kyoto Station along the Karasuma Subway Line.
The Palace is about 10 minutes' walk from Imadegawa Station. |
Sento Imperial Palace - Seika-tei
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Kyoto Imperial Palace - Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto Prefecture
