A Neo-Baroque palace completed in 1909 for the Crown Prince, often compared to Versailles, and since 1974 the government's guest house for visiting heads of state. Designated a National Treasure in 2009, it mixes European grandeur with Japanese touches such as samurai figures on the roof, bronze suits of armour and cloisonne.
- Address
- 2 Chome-1-1 Motoakasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0051, Japan
- Hours
- Open only on days without state functions; Western-style palace entry about 10:00-16:00. The calendar is irregular, so check geihinkan.go.jp before going (japan-guide.com)
- Best time to go
- Morning, Afternoon · About 1.5 h
- Price
- Main building and garden: adults JPY 1,800, university JPY 1,000, junior high and high school JPY 500, primary and younger free; premium route JPY 400 extra (geihinkan.go.jp). Garden only JPY 300 (japan-guide.com)
- Price level
- JPY JPY
Details can change. Check hours and prices before you go.
Good to know
- Enter by the West Gate; the main building needs no reservation, but numbers are limited (gotokyo.org, japan-guide.com).
- The Japanese-style Annex can only be seen on a reserved guided tour; English tours run on weekends and holidays (japan-guide.com).
- Audio guides come in six languages including English (gotokyo.org).