A Sunny Day Out in Tokyo
A sunny day out in Tokyo in early June, taking the train from one of our local stations and arriving at Tokyo Station. Upon arrival collecting not only a somewhat rare (these days) physical Sucia card, but also our first train station “Eki” stamp!
We hung around the beautiful Tokyo station for a while, watching the trains come and go from the roof garden of the JP (Japan Post) KITTE building, and grabbed a bite to eat at one of the many ramen shops within.
After about an hour or so we made our way over to the Imperial Palace East Gardens.
The Imperial Palace East Gardens
The Imperial Palace East Gardens is a historical garden in the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Built on the site of the original Edo Castle, during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868) as a palace for the heir to the Shogun, and later (1961) converted into the gardens we know today.
The gardens cover an area of 210,000 square meters and contain the ruins of Edo Castle, Fujimi-yagura keep, some defence houses and other buildings such as the beautiful Toukagakudo (Imperial Concert Hall)
The Imperial Palace East Gardens of course also feature beautiful specimens of native plants and trees, including a bamboo garden, iris garden, a woodland grove (Ninomaru Grove), lawns and examples of trees representing all the prefectures in Japan!
Getting There
Getting there is relatively simple, a short (roughly 10 minutes) walk from Tokyo Station and the price of admission is free.
The gardens are open to the public most days of the year, only closed for court purposes.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/X5ojv36ubCjxnySW9
Please visit my photography page for more photos of the Imperial Palace East Gardens.
