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Kyoto Imperial Palace
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Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所 Kyōto-gosho), (A 5-10 minute walk south from the Imadegawa subway station, Karasuma subway line), [13]. For the specific Imperial Palace, English tours at 10am and 2pm Mon-Fri (by appointment only) Tours of the other palaces take place at other times. The Palace is a reconstruction (dating from 1855), though the Emperor doesn't actually spend much time there, and the guided tour doesn't actually enter the Palace buildings, only peeking at them from the outside, but nevertheless, it provides interesting insight into the lives of the Imperial Court and it's the only Imperial site in Kyoto that offers English guides. Show up an hour before the tour at the Imperial Household Agency building (west of Kyoto Imperial Palace), and they'll let you join if there's space, or make a booking for another day if there isn't. If you don't want to chance it, advance bookings can also be made online through the Imperial Household Agency's official website [14]. Entrance is free.
