Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Imperial Palace tour: when bookings open
Updated
At 05:00 Japan time on the 1st of the month before your visit, on the Imperial Household Agency’s visit site. The tour is free and first come, first served, and online places for popular days can go within days. If they are gone, 300 same-day tickets per tour are handed out at Kikyo-mon Gate.
- When does booking open?
- The 1st of the month before the visit, at 05:00 JST, first come, first served. For any day in January 2027, online booking opens at 05:00 JST on 1 December 2026; February opens on 1 January. Online booking closes at 23:59 JST four days before the visit. In person at the palace Tour Office, applications run from 8:45 on the 1st of the month before until seven days before.
- How far ahead is that?
- Between about 4 days and about 2 months ahead, depending on the day of the month you want.
- Where do I book?
- Online on the Imperial Household Agency’s visit site (in English), in person at the Tour Office inside the palace grounds, or as a same-day ticket at Kikyo-mon Gate. The tour is free.
- Does it sell out?
- Often, and fast. As of 4 November 2026, every online place for November 2026 was full, and three days after December opened, 23 of its 30 tours were already full. Same-day tickets are the reliable backup: 300 per tour, first come, from 9:00 for the morning tour and 12:30 for the afternoon one.
- Can I cancel or change?
- Nothing is paid, so there are no fees. After applying, the date, the time and the people cannot be changed; the only change allowed is to reduce the number of visitors. For a different day, apply again.
- Is the Tokyo Imperial Palace tour free?
- Yes. The guided tour of the palace grounds is free, whether you book online, apply at the Tour Office or take a same-day ticket.
- When do Imperial Palace tour bookings open?
- At 05:00 Japan time on the 1st of the month before your visit, and online booking closes at 23:59 four days before. Places for January 2027, for example, open on 1 December 2026.
- Can you visit the Imperial Palace without a reservation?
- Yes. 300 same-day tickets per tour are given out at Kikyo-mon Gate from 9:00 for the morning tour and 12:30 for the afternoon tour. The East Gardens also need no booking.
- What times are the Imperial Palace tours?
- Usually 10:00 to 11:15 and 13:30 to 14:45, with registration 30 minutes before each. There is no afternoon tour from July to September.
- Do you go inside the Imperial Palace?
- No. The tour walks the grounds for about 2.2 km, past the palace buildings and the Nijubashi area, without entering any building.
How to book
Open the Tokyo Imperial Palace page on the Imperial Household Agency’s visit site at 05:00 JST on the 1st of the month before your visit, pick the day and the 10:00 or 13:30 tour, and enter the applicant’s details. The applicant must be 18 or over.
Add your companions within 7 days of applying, on screen for up to 8 people or by CSV upload for 9 or more, or the application becomes invalid. One online application covers up to 50 people, and each tour takes up to 200.
Keep the permit number from the confirmation email. On the day, bring it with a valid passport, driver’s licence or student ID for every adult. Photocopies are not accepted.
Arrive at Kikyo-mon Gate for registration: 9:30 for the 10:00 tour and 13:00 for the 13:30 tour. Bags are inspected at the gate, so a large bag is better left in a coin locker.
If it’s sold out
Queue at Kikyo-mon Gate on the day. Numbered tickets are handed out from 9:00 for the morning tour and from 12:30 for the afternoon tour, one per person, 300 per tour, until they run out. You fill in a short form after entering.
Walk the Imperial Palace East Gardens instead. They are free, need no booking, and are usually open every day except Mondays and Fridays.
Booking for a group
One online application holds up to 50 people, and an in-person application at the Tour Office up to 20. Enter every companion within 7 days of applying.
Everyone under 18 must come with an adult, and each adult needs their own original ID on the day.
Same-day tickets are one per person, so a group queuing on the day needs everyone in the line.
Good to know
- There are no tours on Sundays, Mondays, national holidays (unless the holiday falls on a Saturday), from 28 December to 4 January, or on afternoons from 1 July to 30 September. Imperial Court events can also cancel a day or a single tour.
- The walk is about 2.2 km and takes about an hour, much of it in the open with little shade. It goes ahead in rain and is only cancelled in severe weather. You pass the Fujimi-yagura keep, the Kyuden Totei Plaza in front of the palace and the Seimon-tetsubashi bridge, but you do not go inside any building.
- The Imperial Household Agency has a free audio guide app in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish. Download it before you arrive.
- Kikyo-mon Gate is about 10 minutes on foot from Exit 6 of Nijubashimae Station or Exit D2 of Otemachi Station, and about 15 minutes from the Marunouchi Central Exit of Tokyo Station. You cannot reach it through the East Gardens.
Sources
- Imperial Household Agency visit site: Tokyo Imperial Palace guide (official): Online from 05:00 on the 1st of the month before until 23:59 four days before; Tour Office from 8:45 on the 1st of the month before until seven days before; same-day tickets at Kikyo-mon Gate, 300 per tour; days without tours; ID rules; the 2.2 km route; access to Kikyo-mon Gate. Updated 4 November 2026.
- Imperial Household Agency: Tokyo Imperial Palace application (official booking site): The booking calendar with 10:00 and 13:30 tours, full and open places, companions added within 7 days, up to 50 per online application, and no changes after applying except fewer visitors. Updated 4 November 2026.
- Imperial Household Agency: guided tour times (official): Morning tour: tickets from 9:00, registration 9:30, tour 10:00 to 11:15. Afternoon tour: tickets from 12:30, registration 13:00, tour 13:30 to 14:45. Free of charge. Updated 4 November 2026.
- Imperial Household Agency: audio guide app (official): A free audio guide app for the palace grounds in six languages. Updated 4 November 2026.
- Imperial Household Agency: East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (official): Free, no booking; closed Mondays and Fridays except national holidays, 28 December to 3 January and for court functions; hours by season. Updated 4 November 2026.
Booking rules change; the official site has the last word.