Imperial Palace East Gardens to Yurakucho's under-track bars: a walk in Tokyo

From Tokyo Station's red-brick Marunouchi side through the Ote-mon gate into the East Gardens and up to the stone base of the Edo Castle keep, around the moat to Nijubashi and Sakuradamon, through Hibiya Park and finish at the izakaya under Yurakucho's railway arches.

Best time: Daytime Tuesday-Thursday or weekend (East Gardens closed Mondays and Fridays), ending under the Yurakucho tracks for early-evening yakitori.

The route, stop by stop

1
Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building
Start on the Marunouchi (west) side, facing the Imperial Palace grounds. 10 min
The red-brick Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station, which opened in 1914 as the city's main terminus, was renovated in 2012 to its pre-war appearance. The station building also holds…
2
Ote-mon Gate
Gate on the inner moat, the usual entrance to the East Gardens. 5 min
3
Imperial Palace East Gardens
Former inner castle grounds, free; closed Mondays and Fridays; 9:00-16:30 in October, 16:00 November-February. 45 min
The inner circles of Edo Castle, seat of the Tokugawa shoguns from 1603 to 1867: the moats, stone walls, gates and guardhouses survive, and on top of the hill a lawn surrounds…
4
Edo Castle Keep Base (Tenshudai)
Stone base of the Edo Castle keep at the north end of the gardens. 15 min
5
Nijubashi
Bridge to the main palace gate, seen across the moat from the Kokyo Gaien plaza. 15 min
6
Sakuradamon
Gate in the inner moat of the Imperial Palace. 10 min
7
Hibiya Park
16 ha park between the palace and Shimbashi. 20 min
8
Yurakucho Gado-shita
Izakaya and yakitori places in the brick arches under nearly 700 m of Yamanote Line track around Yurakucho Station. 60 min

Walking directions

Imperial Palace East Gardens to Yurakucho's under-track bars

The route, stop by stop

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