Frequently asked questions

Two tickets for each visitor: a Honmaru Palace ticket for the date and 20-minute entry time you choose, and castle admission with the Ninomaru Palace. The Honmaru ticket on its own does not let you through the castle gate, so we always book both.

Yes. The castle runs the Honmaru Palace by reservation and caps the number of tickets it sells for each entry time, to protect the paintings and the narrow corridors. Only a handful of places are kept back for the day itself, so a booked time is the dependable way in.

The castle releases each day's Honmaru places 30 days before. Pick a date inside that window and we book it when you pay. For a later date, hold it with no payment and we come back to you once that day goes on sale.

About fifteen. The palace was a home, not a museum, so its corridors are narrow and the castle limits numbers to protect the paintings. That is why the times sell and why the ticket count is capped.

Be through the East Gate at least 20 minutes before your Honmaru time. The palace is about 850 metres inside, a 15 to 20 minute walk. The castle may refuse late arrivals, and a missed time is not refunded.

About 40 minutes inside, after an introductory film of about 8 minutes. You follow the route at your own pace. There are no guided tours inside the Honmaru Palace.

No. Photos and video are not allowed inside the Honmaru Palace or the Ninomaru Palace. You can photograph the gates, gardens and palace exteriors, and the paintings in the Painting Gallery, without flash or a tripod.

Yes. Shoes come off at the Honmaru Palace entrance and go into a locking shoe box. The castle asks everyone to wear socks inside, to protect the floors, so don't come barefoot or in sandals without them.

Junior high and high school students take the junior and high school fare. Elementary school pupils take the elementary fare. Children below elementary-school age go in free with you; the castle sells no ticket for them.

No. It closes every Tuesday in January, July, August and December, and over New Year. On those Tuesdays we don't offer the adult fare, because its Ninomaru part could not be used. The Honmaru Palace keeps its own closed days.

The third Monday of each month and the day after, unless either is a public holiday, plus 26 to 28 December and 1 to 3 January. The castle grounds close 29 to 31 December. Closed days are greyed out in our date picker.

No. The castle does not allow changes, cancellations or refunds once tickets are bought, so please check your date, entry time and the ages in your party before you pay.

No. We are an independent booking service. We book the castle's own tickets for you, send them by email and answer your questions. Our service is included in the price you see.

The entrance hall, the Goshoin audience rooms and the Otsune-goten living quarters. The Otsune-goten rooms open in rotation to protect their original paintings: from 18 November 2026 to 14 March 2027 it shows the room of flowers of the four seasons, among others.

Two and a half to three hours if you see both palaces and the Honmaru garden. The Ninomaru Palace and its garden alone take one to one and a half hours, and the Ninomaru visit itself about 30 minutes.

Partly. You can visit both palaces by moving into a wheelchair provided for viewing, and the route to the Honmaru Palace has a step-free detour. Power-assist wheelchairs are lent free at the General Information Desk, first come.

Yes. There are paid coin lockers by the ticket office and in the main rest area, and a paid baggage room in the main rest area. Bags larger than 35 by 35 by 50 cm can't go into the Honmaru Palace lockers.