Travel: Kyoto Imperial Palace

The Kyoto Imperial Palace – did you know it’s been destroyed and rebuilt eight times. You can’t walk inside the palace, not without a tour, and you can’t take any photographs on the inside. You can take as many photos you want walking around the outside, though. From the architecture to the simplicity, it’s worth visiting. And, it’s worth seeing all the other tourists, aka, people watching.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

The palace is inside the national gardens, as you can see from the map below. We spent about 1.5-2 hours on the grounds checking out the palace and the gardens. Okay, let’s check out some photos.

That roof system – and the gold. Stunning.

These rooms were entertaining rooms. I especially love the sliding doors that let in the light all while keeping the room cool.

Here is one of the main buildings which would host large gatherings. You can see in the bottom right that visitors are only allowed to walk in certain areas. The neatness of the rounds is incredible and a tad, dare I say, unsettling – it would make me nervous. There’s something amazing walking across a freshly snow covered driveway. It’s welcoming. The gravel below doesn’t seem as welcoming to me. It is beautiful, though.

I loved seeing this – it’s a mock up of the roof. All natural materials. Super neat.

Here are more photos of the grounds.

The national gardens, the trees, the water, and this bridge were some of my favourite parts of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

I didn’t capture any photos here, but even the trees have supports so they’re sure to grow a certain way. The control is wild. If you’re in Japan, make your way to Kyoto and check out the Imperial Palace, it’s super neat. See you again soon and thanks for stopping by.