Adjacent to modern high-rises in the Otemachi business district, just a 10-minute walk from JR Tokyo Station, visitors can step into nature, peace and beauty in the grounds of the historic Imperial Palace. The area is a fine place to stretch out on the grass and enjoy a picnic or simply breathe in the autumn air.
Formerly the site of Edo Castle, built by the Tokugawa shogunate, the Imperial Palace is where the royal family has resided, worked and conducted rituals ever since Emperor Meiji moved from the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1868.
Some parts are closed to the public, but large areas of the 115-hectare grounds, roughly a third the size of New York's Central Park, are open and are popular with tourists.