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Tokyo's Imperial Palace & Nihonbashi Tour
Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
$194.98
This is an experience gift voucher. The recipient will book the experience after
they redeem the gift voucher.
Overview
Visit Japan’s Imperial Palace, the home of the Emperor & the ground of the former Shogun's castle, the political center of Japan until the mid-19th century. Then explore the commercial district of Nihonbashi, with many long-standing businesses for over 400 years.
*Reminder:
- Do note that we cannot visit the Imperial Palace as this is off-limit for guests. Instead, we will visit the ground of the former Shogun's castle.
Highlights of this tour:
◆ Palace's East Gardens and see beautiful seasonal flowers and the ground of former Shogun's castle.
◆ Stroll around Nihonbashi, major commercial district in Tokyo for over 400 years
◆ Try delicious dashi soup stock shop with 300-year old history
◆ Take a lookt at Japanese seaweed being roasted
◆ Try Japanese knife sharpening by yourself.
◆ Visit a century-old washi shop, and see traditional Japanese paper.
◆ Taste a variety of sake at Toyama-kan prefectural store
*Reminder:
- Do note that we cannot visit the Imperial Palace as this is off-limit for guests. Instead, we will visit the ground of the former Shogun's castle.
Highlights of this tour:
◆ Palace's East Gardens and see beautiful seasonal flowers and the ground of former Shogun's castle.
◆ Stroll around Nihonbashi, major commercial district in Tokyo for over 400 years
◆ Try delicious dashi soup stock shop with 300-year old history
◆ Take a lookt at Japanese seaweed being roasted
◆ Try Japanese knife sharpening by yourself.
◆ Visit a century-old washi shop, and see traditional Japanese paper.
◆ Taste a variety of sake at Toyama-kan prefectural store
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Tokyo's Imperial Palace & Nihonbashi Tour
Tour guide
Language: English
Human tour guide
Duration: 4 hours
Availability depends on seasonality and number of participants. Bookings can not be made for the same day. Please read our TnC’s.
When giving as a gift, your recipient can choose a date at their convenience during a booking process. Otherwise, you can choose one after checkout and voucher redemption.
When giving as a gift, your recipient can choose a date at their convenience during a booking process. Otherwise, you can choose one after checkout and voucher redemption.
Check available dates by emailing us at [email protected]
- Entrance into The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
- Nationally accredited tour guide-interpreter
- Japanese sake set
- Sample of Dashi soup stock
- Transportation to the meeting point
- Any other food or beverages
Meeting point
Please meet your guide at the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station.
Return details
The tour ends in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. The nearest stations to Nihonbashi are Nihombashi Station (serving the Toei Asakusa Line, the Metro Ginza Line, and the Metro Tozai Line) and Mitsukoshimae Station (serving the Metro Ginza Line and the Metro Hanzomon Line).
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Imperial PalaceTo begin your tour, you will walk a beautiful ginkgo tree-lined avenue to the Imperial Palace. Once you reach the palace, you will walk its vast grounds, which are dotted with cherry and pine trees and enclosed by deep, formidable moats. The palace buildings themselves are typically closed to visitors, but there is still plenty to explore on the palace outskirts. The most famous of these sights is the Nijubashi bridge, a double bridge that forms the entrance to the palace’s inner grounds. Together with the towering Sakuradamon Gate beside it, the view has long been considered one of the most iconic in Tokyo.
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The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace - Edo Castle RuinAfter exploring the outer grounds, you will walk through Otemon Gate into the Imperial Palace’s East Gardens. This massive gate was once the main entrance to Edo Castle, the home of the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan for over 250 years, and the city's political center from the early 17th to the 19th century. In the gardens, you will visit the old ruins and foundations of the castle that remain, while learning about the fascinating politics and culture of the time. In the gardens’ outer ring, you can also walk through a serene Japanese garden, where seasonal flowers like camellia, iris, and hydrangea can be enjoyed depending on the time of year.
- A short journey from the palace will then take you to Nihonbashi, a major commercial district and the start of Japan’s national highway network since the early seventeenth century. For hundreds of years, this was Japan’s main commercial area and it has long been packed with shops, roads, and waterways that connect trade throughout the country. Many of these stores still remain today, and as you tour the area, you will visit some of them. (pass by)
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A short walk will then take you to Ninben dashi store. Dashi is traditional Japanese soup stock and a mainstay in Japanese cooking from hotpot dishes to noodle soups. At the store, you will learn how dashi is made and even have a little of some freshly-made dashi to try. Ninben has been in business for over 300 years, so they have been perfecting their dashi recipe for quite some time!
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Yamamoto Noriten HontenNext, you will visit Yamamoto Nori, a nori seaweed producer that has been in business since 1849. At the store, you will be able to see a variety of different nori seaweeds on offer and watch as the staff roast the nori sheets ready to sell.
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Your next stop on the tour will be Kiya, a traditional Japanese knife store founded in 1792. The store is home to hundreds of different utensils from traditional Japanese knives to more modern European styles.
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Ozu WashiAfter Kiya, you will head to Ozu Washu Japanese paper store. Here, as well as learning about and seeing all the various different types of Japanese paper and stationery items, you will also make a sheet of washi, traditional Japanese paper. Washi contains strong fibers from the paper mulberry mush, so it is typically thicker and more textured than Western paper.
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Finally, to finish the tour on a relaxing note you will visit the prefectural store of Toyama prefecture. All items sold here hail from Toyama, a coastal prefecture on the Sea of Japan. At the store, you can see a variety of products not typically sold in Tokyo, and then enjoy a delicious sake tasting experience.
If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met,
you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
How it works?
01
—
You choose from 10,000+ experience gifts
02
—
We deliver the eVoucher or the Physical box to the recipient
03
—
Recipient books the experience and creates unforgettable memories!
Tokyo's Imperial Palace & Nihonbashi Tour
Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
$194.98
This is an experience gift voucher. The recipient will book the experience after
they redeem the gift voucher.
How it works?
01
—
You choose from 10,000+ experience gifts
02
—
We deliver the eVoucher or the Physical box to the recipient
03
—
Recipient books the experience and creates unforgettable memories!