Kōkyogaien, National Garden in Chiyoda-ku, Japan.
Kōkyogaien is a national garden in Tokyo that surrounds the Imperial Palace with open green spaces and historic structures. The grounds contain connected sections including grassy areas, tree-lined paths, and old water channels that define the royal residence.
The site served as a feudal administrative center during the Edo period and later housed military facilities before opening to the public as a park in 1949. This transformation turned a place of restricted access into a space open for everyone to visit.
This space holds deep meaning for Japanese people as the heart of imperial life and national identity. Walking through it, you sense how the gardens connect the present to centuries of royal tradition.
The park is free to enter and accessible daily from nearby Metro stations like Nijubashimae and Hibiya. Weekday visits tend to be quieter than weekends, allowing for a more peaceful walk through the grounds.
The famous Nijubashi Bridge consists of two layered structures—a steel span and a stone foundation—that together create the appearance of a double bridge crossing. This architectural detail makes it one of the park's most recognizable features and a favorite subject for photographs.
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