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2-hour tour in Tokyo, taking in Wadakura Moat, Ōte-mon Gate and Ote-San'no Gate Ruins. Run by Sunrise Adventure, booked direct rather than through a reseller.
Highlights
- Wadakura Moat
- Ōte-mon Gate
- Ote-San'no Gate Ruins
- Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse
- Runs 2 hours
- Guided walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds with a friendly local guide
Imperial Palace A Walk Through Japanese History in Tokyo: Key Facts
| Price | From $50.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
This is a 2-hour experience from Tokyo, built around Wadakura Moat, Ōte-mon Gate and Ote-San'no Gate Ruins. It is run by Sunrise Adventure, an operator we book with directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can hold your place with them before we treat your booking as final.
Tokyo is the largest city on earth by metropolitan population and it is best seen as a set of neighbourhoods on the Yamanote loop line rather than one place. Asakusa has Senso-ji, the city's oldest temple, and Nakamise's shopping lane; Shibuya has the scramble crossing and Shinjuku the bars of Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho; Harajuku is Takeshita Street and Meiji Shrine's forest; Akihabara is electronics and anime; Ginza is department stores and sushi counters. Everything runs on time and the last trains are around midnight. Cash still matters in small restaurants, an IC card covers every train and bus, and tipping is not done anywhere.
The price covers Guided walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds with a, Small group for a more exclusive experience, Visit to Ōtemon Gate, Stories from your guide about Edo history and We know the best photo spots. It does not cover Hotel pickup and drop off, Transportation to and from the meeting point and Gratuities, so budget for those separately. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price.
Wadakura Fountain Park, 3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with Sunrise Adventure before treating your booking as final. If they cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Starting location
Wadakura Fountain Park, 3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
Wadakura Moat
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (5 minutes)
Ōte-mon Gate
Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Ote-San'no Gate Ruins
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Ninomaru Garden
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
諏訪の茶屋
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
都道府県の木
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Bairinzaka (Plum Tree Hill)
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Edo Castle Ruins
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (15 minutes)
Stone Hut Imperial Palace East Gardens
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Fujimi-tamon Defense House
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Fujimi-yagura
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Edo Castle keep restoration model
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Site of Edo Castle Honmaru (Main Hall)
Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Arrive back at
Wadakura Fountain Park
Detailed Itinerary
Starting location: Wadakura Fountain Park, 3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
Wadakura Moat: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (5 minutes)
Ōte-mon Gate: Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Ote-San'no Gate Ruins: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Ninomaru Garden: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
諏訪の茶屋: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
都道府県の木: Photo stop, Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (10 minutes)
Includes
- Guided walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds with a friendly local guide
- Small group for a more exclusive experience (maximum 10 guests per guide)
- Visit to Ōtemon Gate, guardhouse ruins, and Ninomaru Garden
- Stories from your guide about Edo history, the samurai era, and modern Tokyo
- We know the best photo spots (just ask your guide)
- No dress code, tattoos welcome
Excludes
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Transportation to and from the meeting point
- Gratuities (optional, at your own discretion)
Important information
Meeting point
Wadakura Fountain Park, 3-1 Kōkyogaien, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0002, Japan
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Very interesting and informative with awesome guide! Highly recommend for all first time visitors who care about Japan history.
Jim was an incredibly knowledgeable guide with a very interesting perspective on Japanese history and culture as a resident of 40 years. You could tell he used to be a journalist as listening to his stories was a great mix of learning and entertainment. He even brought moskito spray and spare umbrellas to make sure we had a good time and when we got lost and couldn't find the meeting point straight away, he called and offered to wait for 2mins extra until we arrived to start the tour. This was very appreciated as we know it's not standard in Japan! We also enjoyed the peaceful scenery of the g
loved learning about the history and connection to the landscape and buildings. can't think of anything to improve the tour.
Yay was a very knowledgeable and extremely pleasant lady full of facts and information and the garden’s were beautiful.
Very informative guide who answered all our questions.
Mika was an amazing guide with lots of knowledge! She answered all of our questions and took great photos of our group. Thank you Mika!
Jim is a fantastic guide - we learned so much about Japanese history and culture! He combines deep knowledge with a great way of storytelling. Thank you!
Wonderful guide who was very attentive to those she guided, very informative and spoke excellent English
I had such a lovely tour with Shin! He was incredibly kind, friendly and knowledgeable, and made the whole experience really enjoyable and easygoing. I learned a lot about the Imperial Palace, the shoguns and Japanese history along the way. He also helped me take some really nice pictures, which I especially appreciated as I was travelling on my own. A great experience and a lovely way to discover this part of Tokyo - thank you, Shin!
our old imperial palace and park tour with Shin was great. He is well informed and told us about all the history of the place. Also gave us an insight about Japanese history. Before going, everybody should know there is no palace, only some ruins, ancient walls and a huge park. This way you can have realistic expectations about the tour.
We really enjoyed this tour and learnt a great deal. Shin, our guide, was very knowledgeable and engaging. Many thanks!
I had a wonderful time on this tour! Shin was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so many fascinating stories and background information about the Imperial Palace and Japanese history. He took his time, answered every question, and made the whole experience both engaging and enjoyable! His English was excellent, and it was clear how passionate he is about the history and culture. I learned so much and would highly recommend this tour. Thank you for such a memorable experience!