Exploring around Tokyo Station🛍️–Marunouchi & Imperial Palace Tour🏯

Exploring around Tokyo Station🛍️–Marunouchi & Imperial Palace Tour🏯

Hello everyone! This is Mei.😊 We’re now at Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi South Exit. Looking up… Wow, it’s beautiful. Today, we’re heading to the Imperial Palace and the stylish Marunouchi area for some shopping. Such a gorgeous station! Go straight down the street in front of Tokyo Station. Now, let’s walk to the Imperial Palace! Marunouchi Building on the left, Shin-Marunouchi Building on the right. Both buildings are landmarks with shops, restaurants, and great Tokyo station view. This street is called Gyoko-dori. This street is sometimes used for official events, such as the Emperor’s outings or ceremonies for foreign ambassadors. The moat and stone walls are coming into view. Let’s keep going. This is a map of the Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace. We’ve walked straight down Gyoko-dori from Tokyo Station. We’re going to: Nijubashi Bridge Tatsumi Yagura (turret) Wadakura Fountain Park The Emperor lives here, but the private areas are not open to the public. From here, you can see three turrets: Tatsumi Yagura (turret) Fushimi Yagura (turret) Fujimi Yagura (turret) Look at all these pines! There are said to be about 2,000 black pines here. The bridge in the back is Nijubashi. The Seimon Ishibashi Bridge, also known as the “Eyeglass Bridge.” This historic stone bridge makes the Imperial Palace look even more beautiful. Beyond the bridge, you can see the Fushimi Turret. Let’s get a closer look. This is Seimon Gate, one of the nine gates of the Imperial Palace. This forest of the Imperial Palace is surrounded by skyscrapers. As luck would have it, we got tickets for the free Imperial Palace Tour and joined!😊 Check the description for the Imperial Palace Tour link. We filled in the tour form and showed our ID. This is Kikyomon Gate. We’re going through a security check. The tour starts after a multilingual orientation. Fujimi Yagura, the “Mt. Fuji View Turret,” was named as Mt. Fuji was once visible from here. These stones may look roughly stacked, but this clever design makes the wall strong with great drainage —strong enough to survive even big earthquakes. It was rebuilt in 1659. With the skyscrapers and the old turret, you can really feel the passage of time. Next is the Imperial Household Agency building. This is a very old building. It was built in 1935. This is the Imperial Palace completed in 1968. The palace consists of seven buildings, and this is Chowaden Reception Hall. It’s so minimal and simple—very Japanese Newly appointed ambassadors visit the Imperial Palace to present their credentials to the Emperor. After the ceremony, they officially become ambassadors. They can go by horse-drawn carriage or limousine. Most choose the carriage, except in summer when it’s too hot.🫠 The horse-drawn carriage goes along Gyoko-dori, the very street we walked from Tokyo Station.🐎 Look, there’s an iron bridge over there! This is the Nijubashi Bridge. Sorry🙏🏻It got so hot, my phone couldn’t film for a while. Fushimi Yagura turret, relocated from Kyoto. We’re lucky today! It seems this carriage is for Prince Hisahito’s coming-of-age ceremony. With all these buildings, you can’t see Mt.Fuji from Fujimi Yagura (turret) anymore.😯 A tourist on the tour called it the “Imperial Gas Stand.”😄 It was a very interesting tour. In the heat of summer, they do a short 45-minute tour. Here’s the Tatsumi Yagura, a turret used for watching and defense. We’ve arrived at Wadakura Fountain Park. This is Starbucks right by the Imperial Palace. Next to it, there’s a free rest area. Starbucks in the back. There’s also an exhibition space. These were excavated around here. Samurai living nearby in the Edo period (1603–1867) once used them. These beautiful pieces show how artful daily life was in the Edo period. This fountain is art too! It was created for the Emperor and Empress’s wedding, and it’s shaped like a wedding cake.♡ Might as well peek into the Starbucks next door! It is Japan’s first “Greener Store”. I wondered what was on this Tokyo mug… it’s Shibuya Crossing!😂 Let’s head to lunch! This is the Palace Hotel Tokyo, the closest hotel to the Imperial Palace. Sushi-ya no Kanpachi Shun Marunouchi Branch Lunch here is reasonably priced. Our seats were at a table. Autumn Seasonal Sushi　 ¥1,300 (US$8.81) Seaweed miso soup It was delicious!😊 Let’s take a stroll down the Marunouchi Naka-dori street! It’s a stylish street in Tokyo lined with high-end shops, cafes, and art installations. Working in Marunouchi feels really high-class. There’re food trucks. On nice days, having lunch on a bench could be great. Definitely not today! It’s 37°C (98.6°F) .🫠 Beautiful color! It’s a stone used to hold incense. A cafe and gallery—How wonderful! What an artistic street! Let’s walk down the street on the other side. Beams: trendy Japanese fashion and lifestyle store. Kaneko Optical: high-quality Japanese glasses. Comme des Garçons: Japanese fashion with a Parisian bakery cafe, Rose Bakery. The carrot cake had great reviews, but it was sold out. Earl Grey Tea ¥660 (US$4.5), Fruit Galette ¥715 (US$4.9) I really liked the sweet-tart apple flavor. Comme des Garçons’ items are so unique and stylish. Marunouchi BRICK SQUARE You can enjoy a meal in a green, open space here. There’s also an art museum next door. I’ve been here too—A16 Tokyo offers great Italian cuisine with a cozy atmosphere. Mikuni is a restaurant by one of Japan’s top chefs. We’re walking along the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum. Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum Tokyo There’s a café next to the museum. Cafe 1894 uses a building that used to be a bank. It’s open for afternoon tea from 2 to 5 PM. I’d love to come back! Now we’re at Marunouchi Building. Wow, Tokyo Station is right in front of us! This is the 5th-floor observation terrace, free to enter. The 4th floor has a Starbucks overlooking Tokyo Station. It’s connected to Tsutaya bookstore, which also sells gifts and souvenirs. A tiny garden with preserved flowers and moss. A torii gate and a Jizo statue can be seen here, too. This is a dry landscape garden, and there’s even a ninja!😄 Such artistic drip coffees! This ukiyo-e tin feels so Japanese. Inside are gluten-free and plant-based cookies: Kinako (roasted soybean flour) cookies. These are first flush green tea (Ichiban-cha). It’s surely delicious. This is a self-standing ladle. I regret not buying it. These chopsticks have raised tips, so they don’t touch the table. I love items that are both beautiful and functional. Cute♡ This Ghost Miffy is just so cute! ORIGAMI LAMP A lamp made from a Japanese ceramic “ORIGAMI” dripper. What a brilliant idea! Soft, warm lighting Are film cameras becoming popular again? This is a kimono design. These are digital cameras. Sumo Whrestler?😂 Since it’s a bookstore, of course they sell books too. Our final destination today is KITTE Marunouchi. It’s a shopping complex built on the site of the former Tokyo Central Post Office. The name “KITTE” comes from the word “stamp.” CLASKA Gallery & Shop “DO” is a lifestyle shop. What a cute dog! This is the shop’s original character, MAMBO. Such refined colors. Hand painting feels so warm. Kokeshi doll Makes you want to get them all? Do you know what this is? It’s a popular scalp massage brush. My husband loves using it when he shampoos his hair. MAMBO items♡ Kungyokudo is a 430-year-old incense shop from Kyoto. Nousaku is a shop offering tableware made of tin and brass. Tin is very soft, so you can bend it into any shape you like. This spiderweb-like tin turns into a fruit bowl. Pokémon chopstick rests. Moomin chopstick rests. Little My and Snufkin wind chimes! This is the former office of the Tokyo Central Postmaster. Such a historic vibe, and the view of Tokyo Station is beautiful. You can even write a letter here. JIKAN STYLE is a specialty shop for traditional Japanese tenugui (hand towels). This MUJI store has a great selection of travel goods. This hanging toiletry case series—we use it too. It’s really convenient for traveling. This new type looks great too. We also use this mini sacoche to hold our passports and other essentials. I also recommend this stylish suitcase. It rolls smoothly and is carry-on friendly. Looks really handy! There’s also a post office. Let’s take a quick look inside. The post office also sells stationery and small goods. Such cute little figures.♡ Post cards This Mount Fuji eraser is so fun! By erasing, you can actually shape your own Mt. Fuji. We are now at the KITTE rooftop garden. Here’s our last look at Tokyo Station!😊 From here, you can see not just Tokyo Station, but also the Shinkansen and other trains. Thank you so much for watching! This channel shares local insights from Japan. If you enjoyed the video, please like, comment, and subscribe. See you in the next video. 😊

Discover Tokyo’s best spots in this walking tour! From the red-brick Tokyo Station to the Imperial Palace, explore Marunouchi’s stylish streets, art, shops, and enjoy sushi & coffee with city views.

⏱Time Stamp
0:00 Opening
0:39 Tokyo Station
1:06 Imperial Palace Tour
10:29 Lunch @ Sushiya no Kanpachi Shun Marunouchi
11:21 Marunouchi Nakadori Street Walk
15:30 Marunouchi Brick Square
16:24 Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum
16:38 Marunouchi building (shopping complex) & Starbucks (A stunning view of Tokyo Station）
21:41 KITTE Marunouchi (shopping complex)

Imperial Palace Tour
https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/about/koukyo.html

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