The Imperial Palace: the green centre
The double bridge, the pine-dotted plaza, and the Edo castle keep that isn't there any more. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Kokyo Gaien (the outer plaza)
Start on the great gravel plaza in front of the palace, the *Kuromatsu* black pines clipped low and spaced like a held breath. Come early; the gravel glares by midday and there's no shade until the moat.

2. Nijubashi (the double bridge)
The view everyone comes for — the stone arch bridge with the iron bridge behind it, the *Fushimi-yagura* turret rising over the moat. You can't cross except on the two annual open days; stand at the rail and take it as a picture, which is what it is.

3. Otemon gate
The old main gate of *Edo* Castle and the way into the East Gardens. Entry is free; you're handed a token at the booth and hand it back when you leave. The gardens shut some days — Mondays and Fridays as a rule — so check before you build the walk around them.

4. Honmaru and the old keep foundations
Up through the *Ninomaru* garden to the *Honmaru* lawn, where the great stone base of the *tenshu* keep still stands. The tower burned in 1657 and was never rebuilt; climb the steps and the empty platform tells you how big the thing was.

5. Kitanomaru Park
North through *Kitanomaru*, the wooded former castle ground — the Nippon Budokan's curved roof through the trees, the science museum, paths that feel a long way from the city. In late March the moat below turns the colour of cherry blossom and stays that way for a fortnight.

6. Chidorigafuchi moat
The northwest moat, the prettiest stretch of water on the walk, with rowing boats you can hire in season. Follow it down to Takebashi for the Tozai line, or carry on to Kudanshita if your legs are willing.

The Imperial Palace: the green centre