Description of the attraction
The Imperial Palace is located in the Chiyoda district of the Japanese capital and is located in the same place where the ancient Edo Castle once stood. It has been used as the residence of the emperor and the imperial court since the second half of the 19th century. The total area of the palace complex is almost 7.5 sq. kilometers.
The first castle in this place was built by the local ruler Ota Dokan in the 15th century. From the beginning of the 17th century, the castle acquired the status of the estate of the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan for two and a half centuries. After the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Edo Castle became the main residence of the Emperor of Japan.
Throughout its history, the castle has changed its appearance many times - it burned more than once, during the Second World War it was bombed, it was restored and completed. In 1873, the castle, which was already an imperial residence, burned down again - this time to the ground, and in 1888 a new imperial palace was built in its place with gardens and buildings located around it. If until the 19th century the buildings of the complex were built mainly of wood in the traditional Japanese style, then in the 20th century concrete buildings appeared in the palace complex in the traditions of European architecture.
In May 1945, wooden buildings burned down after the bombing - the throne room and the emperor's apartments were destroyed. Emperor Hirohito applied for surrender from the library's reinforced concrete basement.
The restored palace consists of two ground and one underground floors. The main, second and third courtyards of the complex have been turned into the Eastern Palace Park, which is open to all comers on certain days and hours. The complex also houses the Peach Music Hall, three palace sanctuaries, and the Imperial Laboratory. The palace, just like under the shoguns, is surrounded by deep ditches with water.
In addition to the East Park, the palace is still a closed territory, you can get here only twice a year - on January 2, when the emperor and his family receive New Year's greetings, and on December 23, on the birthday of the emperor, the symbol of the state. It is forbidden to fly in helicopters over the palace, and a metro line will never be drawn under it.
Near the palace are Tokyo Central Station, the Ginza shopping area and the Katsumagaseki area, where many ministries and departments are located.
