The 11 Tokyo Imperial Palace Tours That Earn Their Price

1.Imperial Palace and Shogun Historical Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,251 reviews · from $22Our pick

Spend about two hours walking through Tokyo’s Imperial Palace East Gardens with a guide such as Jim, Miguel, Tony, or Blake. See Edo Castle walls, gates, the former keep foundation, and Ninomaru Garden while learning about shoguns, emperors, and modern Japan. Groups are capped at 15.

“Aya is very generous with information and really wants to have an impact on visitors so that they leave feeling they have had a personal connection to Japan. She was so patient in explaining everything to us and the meaning behind everything in the Senso-ji Temple and its history. She has a gift of making its significance connect back to each visitor. She taught me how to make a wish and properly pray in the temple too. Priceless! Thank you Aya!”

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2.Imperial Palace Japanese History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 987 reviews · from $32

Meet your Sunrise Adventure guide near Starbucks at Wadakuramon Fountain Park, then walk through Otemon Gate into the Imperial Palace Eastern Gardens. Expect about two hours of Edo Castle stories, samurai history, palace ruins, bamboo, koi, photo stops, and practical Tokyo tips. English and French tours are available.

“Our tour guide was wonderful. She had a sign so we knew exactly who she was. She gave us some small gifts which were perfect for this heat! During the tour she spoke loud enough everyone could hear, was mindful of the heat and tried as much as possible to stop in the shade when available. She gave great information about the history of Japan and the palace! Highly recommend this tour!!”

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3.Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 935 reviews · 2 hours · from $16Best value

Walk through Edo Castle’s former grounds with an English-speaking guide such as Tony, Blake, or Jim. See Ote-Mon Gate, samurai guardhouses, giant stone walls, Fujimi-yagura, the castle tower base, and peaceful Ninomaru Garden. It is a compact, wheelchair-accessible introduction to Tokyo’s political past.

“Really great tour around the site and hearing about the history. Dylan (our guide) was great, really knew his stuff, so feel like I’ve come away having learnt a lot”

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4.Imperial Palace East Garden and Edo Castle Walking Tour in Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 510 reviews · from $25

Spend about 2.5 hours walking from Wadakura Fountain Park through the Imperial Palace East Gardens and Edo Castle ruins. Guides such as Kenta, Sato, Kei, Glenda, and Miko bring the samurai, shogun, and imperial story to life. The palace buildings themselves are not open to the public.

“Kenta was an excellent guide. He knows everything and tells you the history in an interesting and also humorous way. Never get bored or felt lost in details.”

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5.Imperial Palace East Gardens Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 353 reviews · 2h 30m · from $19

Spend 150 minutes walking Tokyo’s Imperial Palace East Gardens with an English-speaking guide such as Mei, Kei, or Wakana. See Edo Castle ruins, stone walls, guard houses, the former Honmaru compound, and the elegant Ninomaru Garden. The tour stays outside the Imperial Palace itself.

“We loved the tour from beginning to end but our tour guide Tatsie was absolutely the reason it was so good! 10/10!!! Would highly recommend to anyone who loves history!”

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6.Imperial Palace, Sensō-ji Temple, & Tokyo Tower Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 339 reviews · 4 hours · from $40

See three major Tokyo sights in one afternoon by hybrid bus. Walk around Nijubashi Bridge, explore Sensō-ji and Nakamise Street, then view the city from Tokyo Tower’s 150-meter observatory. An English-speaking guide such as Junko or Kiki adds useful history and local tips between stops.

““Our tour was great, and we highly recommend it to others.””

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7.Tokyo Castle, Imperial Palace, Shogun & Garden Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 211 reviews · from $31

Meet your guide at Starbucks in Wadakura Fountain Park for a two-hour walk through Ōtemon Gate, Edo Castle ruins, guardhouse remains, and Ninomaru Garden. Guides such as Mika, Natsumi, Lakki, and Nicola explain samurai history, palace defenses, and modern Tokyo in small groups.

“Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided important historical context that helped us visualize and understand better everything we were visiting. Touring the palace grounds with a guide makes all the difference; otherwise, you might be a little disappointed because most of the structures have been destroyed.”

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8.Edo Castle & East Garden of the Imperial Palace Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 112 reviews · 2 hours · from $42

Meet your English-speaking guide at Wadakura Fountain Park for a relaxed two-hour walk through the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Guides such as Hitoshi, Naoko, Shigeru, and Masahito explain Edo Castle, shoguns, palace customs, gardens, and koi fish. The inner palace is not included.

“We absolutely loved having our guided tour with Hiroshi this morning. He provided extra historical and cultural contexts. Taught us fun facts and helped take some of our favorite pictures from the trip thus far.”

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9.Tokyo Private Tour! Edo Castle & Imperial Palace East Gardens

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews · from $65

Walk Tokyo’s Imperial Palace East Gardens with a private guide, visiting Ote-mon Gate, Edo Castle ruins, Ninomaru Garden, old bridges, and palace grounds. Guides such as Naoko, Mikio, Shigeru, and Ishida are praised for history, culture, and plant knowledge. The Inner Palace is not included.

“We had a two-hour private tour with Naoko around the beautiful and historic Imperial Palace east gardens. Naoko was lively, engaging and very informative about the history and culture of Japan. She was very professional but also friendly. It was such a pleasure learning from Naoko.”

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10.Full Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Imperial Palace, Asakusa & Skytree

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $39

Start at Shibuya’s Hachiko Statue, then follow a bilingual English and Spanish guide through Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, Akihabara, Asakusa, and Tokyo Skytree. Francisco and Jorge are among the guides praised for friendly, clear hosting. Expect many train rides, plenty of walking, and a finish at Skytree.

“Francisco was a fantastic host. It was amazing that he was able to give the tour in Spanish and English and made sure both groups knew what he was talking about. There is a lot of walking but you see almost everything there is to see in Tokyo.”

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11.Imperial Palace, the history of Japan (ENGLISH GUIDE)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · from $40

Meet your French-speaking guide at Starbucks in Wadakuramon Fountain Park, then walk through the Imperial Palace’s eastern gardens and former Edo Castle grounds. You’ll see palace ruins, a miniature castle structure, special koi, old barracks, and trees from across Japan. Nicolas may lead the visit.

“Amazing tour with our Franco-Japanese guide Nicolas. He shared all the park's little secrets and answered lots of questions about Japanese mythology, Japan in general, the language, and more. We were able to share with him on many topics. We were a small group of 5 people, which made it easy to talk and made the experience really friendly. We even got to hang out and eat together after the visit, it went so well The history of the place and the imperial family was explained to us really well and was super interesting! I highly recommend this experience and would definitely take a tour with Sunrise Adventure on a…”

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