The "Goshō" palace is the old official residence of the Emperor of Japan. The term is often used for the entire park that surrounds it, but the actual palace is only a small part of the grounds. The palace was used until 1868 when the capital was moved to Tokyo. It is rarely used today.
The palace is open to the public a couple of weeks per year. Entrance is then free, and as you can imagine the p(a)lace can be packed. If you plan to visit try to come on a weekday morning. However if you're in the area a better place to see is the Sento palace, for which you need to book a visit at the office of the Imperial Household Agency (also on the palace grounds, near the western gate). Recommended for: Access: Nearby: Aoi Festival 葵祭 (110m), the State Guest House 京都迎賓館 (310m), the Jidai Festival 時代祭 (330m), Shirakumo-jinja 白雲神社 (340m), Goo-jinja 護王神社 (400m), the Sento Imperial Palace 仙洞御所 (440m), Nashinoki-jinja 梨木神社 (450m), Kōdō-kan 弘道館 (460m), Rozan-ji 廬山寺 (540m), the Arisugawanomiya Residence 有栖川宮旧邸 (570m),... External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Inside Kyoto, Marutake, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, 下京, 中京, 上京, Imperial Garden, 京都御苑, Imperial Palace, Gosho Statistics: visited on 3 occasions, id 489, 16 photos (25 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
