TOKYO —The Imperial Household Agency of Imperial Palace last Saturday introduced a new same-day registration system for guided tours of parts of the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo to enable visitors from all countries to see the Imperial Palace without prior reservation. This is a great news for the travelers who would like to explore living Japanese history in the heart of Tokyo without spending a dime.
After you complete the tour to the palace, you can find some halal restaurants in the nearby areas of Otemachi, Tokyo Station and Hibiya etc. Imperial Palace is one of the greatest attraction for local and foreign visitors to Tokyo.
The measure was taken in line with the government’s strategy to boost inbound tourism as Japan aims to increase the annual number of overseas visitors to 40 million by 2020, when Tokyo hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Explanations and instructions by staff are currently given in Japanese only during the tour that takes approximately 75 minutes. The agency said it is trying to prepare voice guidance in other languages including English and Chinese.
Under the new arrangements, the maximum number of visitors will be increased to 500 from 300 for each of the tours, with same-day registration available for 300 people, the agency said.
The tours will be conducted twice a day, from Tuesday to Saturday, but will not be available on Sundays and Mondays.
The points visitors can view during the tours include the East Gardens, the Seimon Tetsubashi Bridge and the Imperial Household Agency building.
Visitors who want to register the same day should finish their registration procedures before the morning and afternoon tours begin, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. respectively, by showing their personal identification and filling out an application form, the imperial agency said.
The place for the registration is outside the Kikyomon Gate of the Imperial Palace near Tokyo Station.
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