Kyoto Imperial Palace

The former residence of Japan's Imperial family, situated within Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, a large enclosed park in the center of Kyoto. The current palace structures date primarily from the mid-nineteenth century reconstruction following fire, and their sober cypress-bark rooflines and raked gravel courtyards represent classical Heian-style imperial architecture. The surrounding park contains Sento Imperial Palace and broad lawns that function as an accessible green space for the city.