The Tokyo Imperial Palace is home to the emperor of Japan. The castle sits in a park area near the center of Tokyo (The palace is located in Chiyoda ward of central Tokyo) , and is surrounded by a moat and protect by large stone wall’s.
History
The current Imperial Palace was the site of Edo Castle ( Edo is the previous name for Tokyo) . During World War Two the castle was destroyed by bombings, after the end of the war the castle was rebuilt in the same style which it was previously.
Site seeing
Tokyo Imperial Palace is not open to the public except on January 2, and December 23rd the emperors Birthday. Even though the main section of the palace is not open there is much to see around the palace such as the Imperial Palace East Gardens. ( You must book a tour to see this site/ the tour’s will be offered in English/ it is recommend to book in advance for something such as this)
* Note no tour is needed for the Imperial Palace East Gardens but for the Imperial Palace itself ( inside) you will need a tour guide.
How to get to Tokyo Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial palace is a 10 minute walk from Tokyo Station.