Akasaka Palace
Japan's answer to Versailles — a Neo-Baroque imperial palace where a future emperor sheltered through the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, and Gerald Ford later became the first sitting US president to visit Japan.
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Built 1899–1909 for the Crown Prince and modeled on the Hofburg and Palace of Versailles, it became Japan's state guest house in 1974 after a 10.8-billion-yen renovation. Three G7 summits have been held here. In 2009, the main building, gate, and fountain garden were designated a National Treasure — the first post-Meiji assets to receive that status.
What to look for
- The Neo-Baroque facade directly inspired by the Hofburg Palace and Palace of Versailles
- The main gate and garden fountain, both designated National Treasures in December 2009
- The 3.25 km footpath ringing the 117,000 sq metre grounds — no road crossings interrupt it
Yotsuya Station is the nearest rail stop; visiting access depends on whether state events are scheduled.
Akasaka Palace is one of 35 sights worth the detour in Tokyo, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Tokyo pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Tokyo
- Mode Gakuen Cocoon TowerA 50-story school curved like a cocoon — white aluminum and dark-blue glass, criss-crossed by diagonal white lines — that beat 150 rival proposals and won Skyscraper of the Year.
- Tokyo SkytreeAt 634 metres, the height isn't random — 6-3-4 spells "Musashi," the ancient name for this exact corner of Tokyo.
- Tokyo TowerA third of its steel came from US tanks scrapped after the Korean War — Japan's postwar recovery, painted orange and bolted into the sky.
- National Diet LibraryBorn in 1948 as a "citadel of popular sovereignty," Japan's national library holds 12 million volumes — and anyone can walk in.
- Akihabara (Electric Town)The black market that outgrew itself and became Japan's otaku capital.
- Tokyo National MuseumOne in ten of every artwork Japan has ever officially designated a National Treasure lives here.