Imperial Palace East Gardens

Edo Castle was the largest fortress in Japan and the seat of the Tokugawa from 1603; the emperor moved into it in 1868 and the inner enclosures became the palace. The East Gardens are the honmaru and ninomaru - the innermost baileys - opened to the public in 1968, and what survives is the stonework: enormous fitted walls, the Otemon gate, guardhouses, and the base of the great keep. That keep was five storeys and the tallest in Japan; it burned in the Meireki fire of 1657 and was never rebuilt, because the domain decided the money was better spent on the city, so what stands is a bare stone platform you can climb with nothing on top. Lawns and a Japanese garden fill the rest. The palace proper is not open except on two days a year and by tour of the outer grounds.

What you actually see

• The keep base - a bare stone platform where the tallest castle in Japan stood until 1657.
• Edo stonework - massive fitted walls, the Otemon gate and surviving guardhouses.
• The inner baileys - honmaru and ninomaru, opened to the public in 1968.
• A Japanese garden - laid out in the ninomaru with a pond and seasonal planting.

When to go

Late March for cherry, November for colour. Two hours. Closed Mondays and Fridays.

Honest expectations

There is no castle - only foundations and gates. The gardens close two days a week and early in the afternoon in winter. The palace itself is not accessible except on two days a year. Shade is limited and Tokyo summers are severe.

Nearby

Tokyo station is east; Kitanomaru and the Budokan are north.