I chose our hotel, The Palace Hotel Tokyo, for its proximity to the Imperial Palace and garden views. It made it so easy and relaxing to stroll across the street to the East gate (Ote-mon) and enter the Palace grounds. Free to the public, the extensive grounds cover 280 acres and feature wide open spaces, bamboo stands, forest areas, cherry trees, and portions of the original fortress. Reconstruction of the original buildings has been true to their original form (if not function).

Dating from 1590, this was the site of the Edo Castle, home of the Tokugawa shoguns. Originally, the castle had 36 gates, of 99 total, in the outer wall, 21 watch towers, and 28 armories. In 1868, the Imperial family moved from Kyoto and took over the site.

BTW – if you are not watching Shogun (on FX and streaming on Hulu) you should and will not be disappointed. I read the James Clavell book decades ago and remember the previous two broadcast versions of the book. But this conceptualization is something special. Produced by a well-known Japanese actor/director they have corrected many of the cultural inaccuracies in the book to more exactly capture the past. It’s beautifully filmed and acted. The first four episodes dropped before we left, and I can’t wait to see the remaining six.

The Palace is a working compound and does house the emperor of Japan and his family. Although the original buildings are long gone, the walls, some gates, three watchtowers, and at least one guardhouse still stand within the impressive outer moat. The gardens are open most days, but public access to the Palace is restricted to just two days a year.

Both Japanese and Western landscape styles are evident and I think I was most surprised by the wide-open spaces and relaxed feeling. Other visitors, locals, and tour groups dispersed far and wide, and although upon entry you could hear many different languages being spoken, soon the only sounds you heard were your own.

We arrived mid-morning and by the time we left around noon, crowds were in line to pass through the screeners (security officers do look into any bags, backpacks, or purses carried in).  

It was here we saw our first cherry blossom buds of this trip. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.