VIARAMI logo
Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace building with a large, brown, thatched roof and wooden staircase.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imperial Palace

On a walled area with a size of 1100 by 600 meters in the center of Kyoto is the Kyōto Gosho, the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In addition to the palace, several buildings and an extensive park are located on the site.

Traditional Japanese imperial palace roof with decorative ceramic tiles and chrysanthemum crests against a cloudy sky
Wide gravel pathway lined with pine trees and stone posts leading toward a brick building in a park

From 794, when Kyoto became the capital of Japan, the Kyoto Imperial Palace served as the residence of the Imperial Family.

More than 1000 years later, the Emperor Meiji moved the seat of the Imperial Family to Tokyo.

During this period the palace burned down several times. Each time it was rebuilt, the last reconstruction was completed in 1855.

Traditional Japanese palace entrance with ornate gold-decorated curved gable, black timber framing, and white walls set against pine trees
Traditional Japanese palace building with thatched roof and white plaster walls seen through a wooden gate on a gravel courtyard
Kyoto Imperial Palace exterior wall and roof detail.
Close-up of a traditional Japanese roof and wall with ornate detailing.
Close-up of ornate roof detail at Kyoto Imperial Palace.
Close-up of vibrant green pine needles illuminated by natural sunlight
Ornate gold metal panels with hexagonal patterns on a black wooden gate at Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto Imperial Palace exterior wall and dark wooden door partially obscured by tree branches.
Kyoto Imperial Palace exterior with wooden siding and slatted doors.
Kyoto Imperial Palace exterior wall with thatched roof.
Kyoto Gosho, Japan: Ornate wooden gable and roof detail with a pine tree in the foreground.
Traditional Japanese palace gate with vermilion pillars and grey tiled roof under an overcast sky
Traditional Japanese palace architecture with vermilion pillars and grey tiled roof
Kyoto Gosho palace roof detail: orange beams and grey tiles.
Traditional Japanese palace building with vermilion columns, white plaster walls, and grey tiled roofs with a uniformed guard walking along the covered walkway
Traditional Japanese imperial palace buildings with tiled roofs and white walls overlooking a gravel courtyard in black and white
Traditional Japanese temple architecture featuring vermilion pillars, decorative ceramic roof tiles, and black lattice screens against white plaster walls
Symmetrical view of Kyoto Imperial Palace Shishinden hall framed by a vermilion gate
Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace building with a large, brown, thatched roof and wooden staircase.
Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace building with wooden stairs and thatched roof.
Miniature wooden roof construction model with layered bark shingles on a workbench
Kyoto Gosho Palace roof detail: thatch, wood, and intricate carvings.
Kyoto Gosho palace rooftops and lush green trees.
Wooden staircase with red accents at Kyoto Gosho in Japan.
Kyoto Gosho palace exterior with gravel courtyard and water channel.
Wooden gate to a Japanese garden with a small bridge and pond.
Traditional wooden arched bridge spanning a pond in a lush Japanese garden
Stone lantern partially hidden by pine needles in a lush green garden
Moss-covered Japanese stone lantern in a lush traditional garden
Stone pathway winding through a Japanese garden with lush greenery and large rocks.
Traditional wooden arched bridge in a lush Japanese garden
Workers on ladders trimming a large pine tree in a manicured garden
Kyoto
Takano River in Kyoto, Japan, with a bridge, houses, and mountains in the background.

Kyoto - Part 1

Aerial view of a densely packed Japanese cemetery with numerous gray stone gravestones.

Kyoto - Part 2

Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace building with a large, brown, thatched roof and wooden staircase.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Recommendations

Red Chinese paper lanterns with floral and phoenix patterns hanging from a corrugated metal ceiling

Bangkok – Part 74

Waiting on the street
Lone person walking across a vast foggy field at night under a bright overhead light

Hanoi at Night

Hanoi is a special place at night.
Two people riding a yellow scooter stopped at an urban crosswalk

Bangkok - Part 98

Up, Down & Side
Train conductor and child at a covered railway station platform with multiple tracks and commuter trains

Around Tokyo - Part 6

Waiting for the Train
Black and white photo of a Ferris wheel gondola and structural support against a cloudy sky.

Vienna

The livable capital of Austria
Pink bougainvillea covering a green pergola walkway on a pedestrian bridge in an urban setting

Ho Chi Minh City – Part 9

Windows to the City