Explore the rich history of Japan’s Imperial Palace at Kokyo Gaien National Garden, located near Nijubashimae and Hibiya subway stations. Spanning 1.15 million square meters, this garden is a treasure trove of beauty and history, made up of the Imperial Palace Plaza, Kokyo Gaien National Garden, the Kitanomaru District, and 12 moats.
As you enter the Imperial Palace Plaza, you’ll be greeted by rows of Ochirindai, an iconic symbol of the garden and a stunning array of thousands of black pines. One of the highlights of the Imperial Palace Plaza is the Nijubashi Bridge, a key symbol of the garden. Visitors often mistake the iron bridge in the background, known as the Seimon-tetsubashi Bridge, and the stone bridge in the foreground, known as the Seimon-ishibashi Bridge, for the Nijubashi. However, officially the Nijubashi refers to the Seimon-tetsubashi Bridge.
Another must-see is the statue of Kusunoki Masashige, a loyal retainer of the Kenmu Restoration, located near Subway Hibiya Station. This 8-meter statue is considered to be one of the three statues of Tokyo alongside that of Saigo Takamori in Ueno Park and Omura Masujiro in Yasukuni-jinja Shrine.
