Kyōto Gosho

Kyōto Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace) is an imperial palace of Japan, though the Emperor of Japan is not in residence. The Emperor has resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace since 1869 (Meiji Restoration) and ordered the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1877. Today the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day. The Kyōto Imperial Palace is the latest of the imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital on Heiankyo after the abandonment of the larger original Heian Palace. The palace is situated in the Kyōto Gyoen (kyōto gyoen), a rectangular enclosure 1.3 km north to south and 0.7 km east to west which also contains the Sento Imperial Palace gardens.