Kyoto Imperial Palace

這裡曾是日本皇室的居所,直到1868年遷都東京為止,坐落於廣闊且圍牆環繞的京都御苑之內。紫宸殿(舉行國家儀式的正殿)及其耙紋砂石庭院是核心所在——直到明治時代之前,歷代天皇的即位典禮都在此舉行。免費入場,無需預約。

Walk-in access via the west-side Seishomon Gate, no advance registration needed. Hours are seasonal: 9:00–17:00 (last admission 16:20) April–August, 9:00–16:30 (last admission 15:50) in September and March, and 9:00–16:00 (last admission 15:20) October–February. Closed Mondays (open instead on a Monday that's a national holiday, closed the following Tuesday) and December 28–January 4. Free English-language guided tours run at 10:00 and 14:00; Japanese-language tours run four times a day. The wider Kyoto Gyoen park around the palace is open dawn to dusk year-round and free to enter regardless of the palace's own hours.