Kokyo Gaien National Garden

This broad public plaza stretches in front of the Imperial Palace, carpeted with clipped lawns, gravel paths, and hundreds of sculpted black pines. Once the site of feudal estates, the grounds were opened as a national garden and remain a favorite for a slow walk with views across the moat toward the palace walls and watchtowers. A bronze equestrian statue of a medieval loyalist stands near the eastern edge. The open expanse offers rare uninterrupted sky in the dense heart of the capital.