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Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo

Top rated
4.8
Activity provider: Traveling Tokyo
Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo
Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo 2
Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo 3
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2-hour tour in Tokyo, taking in Ote-Mon Gate, Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse and Fujimi-yagura. Run by Traveling Tokyo, booked direct rather than through a reseller.

Highlights

  • Ote-Mon Gate
  • Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse
  • Fujimi-yagura
  • Imperial Palace East Gardens
  • Runs 2 hours
  • English-speaking guide

Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo: Key Facts

PriceFrom $17 per person
Duration2 hours
LanguagesEnglish
Tour typeGuided Tour
BookingDirect with the local operator — no OTA markup

Full description

This is a 2-hour experience from Tokyo, built around Ote-Mon Gate, Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse and Fujimi-yagura. It is run by Traveling Tokyo, 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 guide and Guided walking tour of the East Gardens. It does not cover Tickets, 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.

Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with Traveling Tokyo 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

Itineraries are customisable as per your request

The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.

Starting location

Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park

Ote-Mon Gate

Guided tour (10 minutes)

Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse

Guided tour, Sightseeing (10 minutes)

Fujimi-yagura

Guided tour, Sightseeing (15 minutes)

Imperial Palace East Gardens

Visit, Guided tour (30 minutes)

Ninomaru Garden

Visit, Guided tour (30 minutes)

Arrive back at

Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park

Detailed Itinerary

Starting location: Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park

Ote-Mon Gate: Guided tour (10 minutes)

Hyakunin Bansho Guardhouse: Guided tour, Sightseeing (10 minutes)

Fujimi-yagura: Guided tour, Sightseeing (15 minutes)

Imperial Palace East Gardens: Visit, Guided tour (30 minutes)

Ninomaru Garden: Visit, Guided tour (30 minutes)

Arrive back at: Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park

Includes

  • English-speaking guide
  • Guided walking tour of the East Gardens

Excludes

  • Tickets

Important information

Meeting point

Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park

Know before you go

  • Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more
Duration 2 hours
Check availability to see starting times
Live tour guide
English
Wheelchair accessible

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Main Tour Price
Starting from $17
$17
Need a custom booking or have a larger group?Contact Support via WhatsApp
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Secure payment
Complete your booking safely with Razorpay. Full refund if you cancel 24h prior. Read more

Traveler Reviews

4.9/5
based on 2175 reviews
Guide
4.9/5
Value for money
4.8/5
Verified reviews from travelers on this operator’s experience
5
M
Marlene
September 13, 2026

Giulia lead a wonderful tour in and informative and entertaining way!

Review photo 1Review photo 2
5
D
Daria
September 17, 2026

This tour was excellent value. The Imperial Palace doesn't have any signage so a guide is critical if you want more than just a stroll through a pretty garden. Our guide Miguel was super knowledgeable and friendly. He offered a lot of information about the Palace and did a more general Tokyo FAQ.

5
L
Linda
September 16, 2026

Matthew was wonderful, spoke very clearly and so knowable: he was very polite and fun.

5
C
Cristina
September 15, 2026

Ma was exceptional! He knew so much history, but he added a personal touch that brought this walking tour to life! Recommend getting him!

5
A
Anna
September 15, 2026

I highly enjoyed this walking tour. Yuki - our guide, was amazing, her english was really good and her knowledge very impressive. I loved the nature as well as the historical buildings. Thanks to Yuki i’ve learned a lot about Japanese culture and history, i highly recommend her as a guide, and i recommend this tour as well.

5
J
Josh
September 15, 2026

Yuki was great guide very knowledgeable and great English speaking skills which really helped us as our Japanese is very rudimentary

5
C
Colin
September 15, 2026

Giulia was a great guide. I can recommend doing the tour!

5
R
Renate
September 14, 2026

Fantastic and great value for money. Our guide Guilia was easy to understand and very knowledgeable

5
J
Judy
September 14, 2026

Excellent tour with very knowledgeable guide, Giulia

5
E
Elizabeth
September 13, 2026

Our guide Julia (Guilia) was excellent. She was very knowledgeable on Japanese history and made it engaging and informative. We really enjoyed the tour.

5
F
Frederik
September 12, 2026

It was amazing. MA was excellent. His guidance and knowledge were outstanding. Mixed with funny and relaxed commentary, he was the best. Thank you for a great experience!

5
D
Doris
September 12, 2026

MA was an excellent tour guide for the Imperial palace today.😊

Frequently Asked Questions

Starbucks Coffee - Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park
The price does not cover tickets. Everything it does cover is listed in full on this page, so if something is not on that list, budget for it separately.
The listing gives the distance and the terrain; most walking tours are flat and paced for average fitness, and cycling tours use river paths and back streets with e-bikes available on request. Summer in the cities is hot and humid from July to September, so early starts and water matter more than fitness.
We confirm your booking with the operator before we treat it as final, and we need at least one day's notice. Once it is confirmed you get the meeting point, the time and a contact number for the day. If the operator cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
English-speaking guide, Guided walking tour of the East Gardens
The duration of the Imperial Palace and Shogun Walking Tour in Tokyo is typically 2 hours. We recommend arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for a smooth check-in. Your guide will meet you at the designated meeting point and ensure the experience runs on schedule while remaining flexible to your pace.
For most experiences, we highly recommend an early morning start. This allows you to avoid the midday heat, bypass the largest crowds, and capture the best lighting for photography. Your guide can advise on the optimal timing based on the season and specific attractions included.
Yes, once your booking is completed via our secure payment gateway, you will receive an instant confirmation email with your tour details, meeting point address, guide's name, and direct contact information. You can also view and manage your booking through your AsiaByLocals account dashboard.
Yes! All our private tours are fully customizable. Whether you want to add extra stops, skip certain locations, change the pace, or adjust the start time — simply let your guide know in advance or on the day. We aim to create a personalized experience tailored to your interests and energy level.
We offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours may be subject to a partial charge depending on the tour type. Weather-related cancellations for outdoor and boat tours are handled on a case-by-case basis, with full refunds or free rebooking offered when safety is a concern.
Most of our experiences are family-friendly and suitable for children of all ages. However, some tours involving extensive walking, water activities, or early morning starts may be better suited for children aged 5 and above. Please check the specific tour description for age recommendations, or contact us for personalized family itinerary advice.
After booking, you will receive detailed meeting point instructions via email. Most tours include complimentary hotel pickup within the central area. For tours without pickup, your confirmation email will include the exact address, Google Maps pin, and your guide's phone number for easy coordination. Guides typically arrive 10 minutes early and will message you on WhatsApp.
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, Apple Pay, and Razorpay for Indian cards. All payments are processed through a PCI-compliant secure gateway with 256-bit encryption. You can also pay in multiple currencies — the price is automatically converted to your local currency at checkout.
Yes, all AsiaByLocals guides are licensed professionals who have been rigorously vetted through background checks, skill assessments, and customer reviews. Many hold government-issued tourism licenses, university degrees in history or cultural studies, and have years of experience leading tours for international travelers. Every guide maintains a minimum 4.5-star rating to remain active on our platform.
Late March to early April for cherry blossom, or late October to early December for autumn colour and the clearest skies. Contrary to most advice, October is Tokyo's wettest month (234.8 mm), not the June rainy season. Full month-by-month figures are in our best time to visit Tokyo guide.
Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card and budget ¥1,000–¥1,400 a day. Do not buy a JR Pass for a Tokyo-only trip — it costs ¥50,000 and excludes Tokyo Metro and Toei entirely. Note JR East raised Tokyo fares on 14 March 2026, so Metro is now cheaper than JR on several routes. See getting around Tokyo.
Shibuya Sky releases tickets only 14 days ahead at 00:00 JST — it cannot be booked months in advance. teamLab Borderless tickets drop at 12:00 JST on the 1st of each month. Our 3-day Tokyo itinerary lists every booking deadline.
Yes — a Japanese licence or an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. 1968 Vienna Convention permits are not valid in Japan. Licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan need an official JAF translation instead. Arrange it before you fly; see the Tokyo go-kart guide.
Yes — the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko takes about 1h 45m for ¥2,200. But manage expectations: Fuji is visible on 84% of December mornings and only 23% of July mornings, and cloud builds through the day, so go early. Details in our Mount Fuji day trip guide.
Edomae sushi (the Tokyo Bay style, where curing began as a workaround for having no refrigeration), monjayaki — a runny griddle dish unique to Tokyo with 80+ specialists on Tsukishima's Monja Street — and soba. Also worth knowing: Tsukiji Outer Market never closed; only the wholesale auction moved to Toyosu. See the Tokyo food guide.
The crossing itself takes about ninety seconds. What makes it worth an evening is one street back — Nonbei Yokocho, a lantern-lit alley of tiny bars a minute away that almost nobody who photographs the scramble walks into. Note street drinking is banned in the area 18:00–05:00 year-round, though the ordinance carries no fine. See the Shibuya Crossing guide.
Yes, some. Japan's cashless ratio reached 58% in 2025, so over 40% of payments are still cash — and card refusal is most likely at small independent izakaya, ramen ticket machines and market stalls. Tipping is not expected anywhere.
Starting from$17