Kokyo Gaien National Garden Audio Guide

Kokyo Gaien National Garden: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Kokyo Gaien National Garden

   Welcome to Kokyo Gaien National Garden, in the Chiyoda district of Tokyo, just south of the Imperial Palace. The Japanese name, Kokyogaien, means Imperial Palace Outer Garden, and that is exactly what it is: the open, airy forecourt to the home of the emperor. The national garden covers a little over a square kilometer. It rings the palace and brings together a landscaped plaza in front of it, 12 moats, and the Kitanomaru Garden. It is also home to three museums, and people come for its history as much as for its greenery. One thing sets the mood straight away: there is no playground equipment here. This is a place for walking, sitting, and soaking in the story of Edo Castle. Because it sits beside the Imperial Palace, it is watched over by the Imperial Palace Police and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, so expect a calm, orderly atmosphere. Over the next few minutes we will look at what stood here before the plaza, the gates and moats that survive, and the statue and pine trees you will meet on your stroll.

2. 02

   From Daimyo Mansions to Open Plaza

   Picture this same ground in the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868. It had a very different name then: Nishinomaru-shita, meaning the area below the Nishinomaru, one of the compounds of Edo Castle. The land faced the Hibiya Inlet, and it was lined with the residences of leading feudal lords, the daimyo who served the shogunate. Where you now see open sky, there were walled mansions of powerful men. Then came the Meiji Restoration in 1868, and the function of the land changed. Those residences were put to new uses as government offices and barracks, and a government guard and military camp occupied the area. Over time the site was developed into the plaza you walk across today. That layering is the secret of the place. The garden dates its connection to Edo Castle back to the fifteenth century, and the land has gone from the homes of lords, to offices and soldiers, to a public space for strolling. When you stand on the plaza, you are standing on a century-by-century rewrite of Tokyo's political heart.

3. 03

   Gates, Moats and Watchtowers

   The garden is full of survivors from Edo Castle. Many of its gates, bridges, watchtowers and stone walls have endured fires and wars, and many are designated Special Historic Sites and Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The moat area itself is designated a Special Historic Site of Edo Castle, so even the water around you is protected heritage. Look out for a few gates in particular. Sakurada Gate is designated an Important Cultural Property. Sakashita Gate is still in use today as a gate for the Imperial Household Agency. And behind Kikyo Gate are the headquarters of the Imperial Police, which tells you these are not just relics but working parts of the palace grounds. Two images are especially famous here. One is the Nijubashi double bridge, and the other is the Fushimi-yagura watchtower. Frame either of them with the towers of modern Tokyo rising behind, and you get the contrast between old and new that makes this view so memorable.

4. 04

   A Loyal Samurai and the Sculpted Pines

   As you wander, keep an eye out for the equestrian statue of Kusunoki Masashige. He was a fourteenth-century samurai, legendary for his loyalty, and his statue on horseback gives the garden a human face amid all the stone walls and water. Then look at the trees. The pine trees around the garden are perfectly manicured, shaped so carefully that they look almost as architectural as the skyscrapers standing in the distance. It is a lovely visual conversation: sculpted pine against glass and steel, each one the product of deliberate design. If you want a gentler pause, Wadakura Fountain Park offers a pleasant break from all the Edo architecture. It is a good spot to slow down, catch your breath, and watch how the moats, lawns and distant towers fit together.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Strolling through Kokyo Gaien is a fittingly grand way to approach the Imperial Palace. As you leave, try one more look back. Notice how a single view can hold a watchtower, a moat, a trimmed pine and a skyscraper at once. Ask yourself which of those belongs to the age of the daimyo, which to the Meiji era, and which to today's Tokyo. There is more to explore beyond the plaza, including the Kitanomaru Garden, the three museums, and the 12 moats that ring the palace. Each one offers another angle on how Edo Castle's grounds became the public garden you have just walked.