Tokyo Imperial Palace

35°41′05.11″N 139°45′08.85″E / 35.6847528°N 139.7524583°E / 35.6847528; 139.7524583

The Kōkyo (皇居) is the Imperial Palace of Japan and the residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is close to Tokyo Station.

After the Meiji Restoration and the resignation of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Tokugawa shogun, the Imperial court moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and the former Tokugawa stronghold of Edo castle became the residence of the emperor. From 1888 to 1948, it was called Kyūjō (宮城, "palace castle"). The palace precincts include the Three Palace Sanctuaries (Kyūchūsanden, 宮中三殿).

Most of the palace is generally off-limits to the public, but the Imperial Household Agency conducts tours. Also, the East Gardens are usually accessible to tourists. The inner palace is open to the public on only two days during each year, the Emperor's birthday and at the New Year (January 2).

The buildings of the Imperial Palace were constructed by the Takenaka Corporation.

During the height of the 1980s Japanese property bubble, the palace was purportedly valued by some as equivalent to the value of all the real estate in the state of California [1].

Other historic imperial palaces

Heijo Palace in Nara, the Imperial Palace during the Nara Period (710-784)
Kyoto Gosho - Imperial palace at various locations in Kyoto, residence until the move to Tokyo in 1868.

Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace
Emperor Akihito greets the crowd at the Imperial Palace on his birthday, Dec. 23, 2004
Imperial Palace Garden
Defensive wall and building above moat surrounding Kōkyo