The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is a compound of buildings divided into three blocks that include the Imperial Residence and the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor conducts official business and holds ceremonies. The palace grounds, at about 379 acres of forest, gardens and land, is surrounded by a moat.
Kyoto, centrally located on the island of Japan, was the imperial capital for more than 1,000 years. Following a political upheaval in 1868, known as the Meiji Restoration, the emperor moved to Tokyo, the current location of the Imperial Palace, on Japan’s eastern coast.
The Imperial Palace, called Kyuden, is used by the imperial family to host official ceremonies and receive guests. The Palace was completed in 1968 and is almost exclusively made up of domestically produced materials. The steel-framed, concrete enforced Imperial Palace stands two-stories high, and has one underground level. The roof is gabled and flanked with columns.
The Palace complex is divided into three blocks. The main Imperial Palace and the Imperial Household Agency, where royal business is conducted, is located in the central block. An adjacent block, Fukiage Gyoen, contains the Imperial residence, the residence of the former Emperor and Empress, and Shinto shrines, where private religious ceremonies are held. The Imperial Concert Hall and The Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan) are in the East Gardens.
Visitors can take free tours of the Imperial Palace. The 75-minute walk includes a tour of the Lotus Moat (called Hasuikebori), the Imperial Household Building (Kunaicho Chosha), Niju-Bashi Bridge and a video about the Imperial Palace. Although only parts of the tour are conducted in English, English-language pamphlets are available. Visitors should make reservations.
The Imperial Household Agency indicates that ownership of the Imperial Palace compound belongs to Japan, while the Imperial family maintains ownership of the shrines.
In a Japanese Times article, the National Museum of Nature and Science indicates that the number of animal and insect species on Imperial Palace grounds exceeds 3,600; plant species number 1,366. Additionally, 20 percent of Tokyo’s trees are found on the palace compound. Described as fond of nature, the late Emperor Hirohito prohibited the use of pesticides and encouraged staff to create insect habitats on the property.
The Imperial Palace is approximately a 15-minute walk west of Tokyo Station.