Kōkyo Gaien, plaza and Nijūbashi Bridge

photo by Chris 73 · CC BY-SA 3.0

The iron bridge at the back, rebuilt in 1964, is the only one really called Nijūbashi.

The lawn of the Kōkyo Gaien looks out, across the moat, at the two bridges that tourists together call ‘Nijūbashi’: the stone one in front, and the iron one behind, the only one to bear this name in the strict sense. The iron bridge you see today was rebuilt in June 1964. You cannot cross it: you see it from here, except on the rare days of the general visit or at the New Year audiences.

The Kōkyo Gaien is the outer garden of the Imperial Palace, managed by the Ministry of the Environment: a public park of black pines and lawns open all year round, distinct from the East Gardens of the Palace, which instead close on Mondays and Fridays. On the moat in front of the main gate run two bridges, the stone ‘Seimon Ishibashi’ and the iron ‘Seimon Tekkyō’: the latter, in the strict sense, is the only one officially called 二重橋 (Nijūbashi, ‘double bridge’), even though visitors use the name for the whole pair. Today's iron bridge dates from a rebuilding in June 1964.

ℹ️ Always open, free entry, with no closing hours (Ministry of the Environment). The bridges cannot be crossed: you see them from outside all year round, and you can only cross them on the rare days of the Palace's general visit or at the New Year audiences. The lawn has no shade: in summer you need sun protection.

🚉 Tokyo · 13 min walk

Sources: env.go.jp · env.go.jp

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