Imperial Palace (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Grab your walking or running shoes and take in views of Japan’s Imperial Palace and the neighboring skyscrapers with a stroll in the heart of Tokyo.
Just outside of the Imperial Palace, a five-kilometer path loops around the grounds, taking runners and walkers on a scenic route past traditional castle structures, bridges, gates, moats, and stone walls. It is one of Tokyo’s most scenic walks and takes a little more than an hour to complete if you’re taking an easy paced walk.
The area is popular for runners and running groups which follow the path counterclockwise with the moat on their left.
Take a short detour to explore the inside of the palace grounds. Originally built and expanded in the 17th century as the Edo Castle, the grounds have served as the Imperial Palace since 1867 during the Meiji Restoration.
Imperial Palace (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Imperial Palace (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Imperial Palace (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Three of the four main areas of the palace grounds are open to the public including the Outer Garden, East Garden and Kitanomaru Park. Each season brings some new flowers or foliage to the area, so make sure to visit often!
Nijubashi Bridge and Sakuradamon Gate are symbols of the palace and offer great photo ops. Whether you want to take a brisk walk or get in a good run, the palace loop is a good place to go!
