Former Togu Palace (State Guest House, Akasaka Palace)

A Neo-Baroque Palace of 1909

The Former Togu Palace (State Guest House, Akasaka Palace) (旧東宮御所（迎賓館赤坂離宮）) is a palace of 1909 in Motoakasaka, Minato City, Tokyo, and was designated a National Treasure on December 8, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Today it is the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace (迎賓館赤坂離宮, Geihinkan Akasaka Rikyū), where Japan receives visiting heads of state.

The Agency records a stone and steel-reinforced brick building of 2 storeys above ground and 1 below, roofed in copper, with a building area of 5,150 square metres and an attached carriage porch and stairs; the front gate and walls, 2 guardhouses, the fountain and the stairs of the main garden are designated with it; designation number 00226.

Built for a Crown Prince

The Former Togu Palace was completed in 1909 as the residence of Crown Prince Yoshihito, later Emperor Taishō, to designs by Katayama Tōkuma, an architect of the Imperial Household Ministry (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Cabinet Office notes that work began in 1899 and drew on the leading architects, artists and craftsmen of the day.

The plan is symmetrical: front and rear wings are linked by central, east and west wings. The first floor up held the rooms for formal audiences and receptions, while the ground floor held the couple's private rooms and offices (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The exterior is Neo-Baroque, and the interiors are dressed in a range of historical styles.

From 1923 to 1928 the palace was home to the Prince Regent, later Emperor Shōwa. After the war it passed to the state in 1948 and housed government bodies, among them the National Diet Library (Cabinet Office).

A major refit from 1968 turned it into the national guest house: Murano Tōgo remodelled the main building, and Taniguchi Yoshirō designed a new Japanese-style annex. The State Guest House opened in 1974, and since 2016 it has been open to the public throughout the year (Cabinet Office).

Why It Is a National Treasure

The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Former Togu Palace the largest monumental building of the Meiji era in Japan. It adopts a full Western architectural style, yet its carved ornament uses Japanese subjects, and the craftsmanship throughout is meticulous.

The Agency sees it as the high point of buildings designed by Japanese architects in an era that began by learning Western forms and techniques, both in design and in its use of the latest technology. It was designated a National Treasure on December 8, 2009. The Cabinet Office describes it as the only Neo-Baroque palace in Japan.

What to Look For

The standard tour takes in the entrance hall and grand staircase and the state rooms used for official functions: Hagoromo-no-Ma, Asahi-no-Ma, Sairan-no-Ma and Kachō-no-Ma (Cabinet Office). In the main garden, look back at the south front over the fountain and stairs, both designated with the palace (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The front gate, its walls and the 2 guardhouses flanking it are also part of the designation. Visitors enter by the West Gate, so the Former Togu Palace's front gate is seen from inside the forecourt (Cabinet Office).

Visiting

According to the Cabinet Office, the main building and garden are open on public days from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last entry to the main building at 4:00 p.m. on the standard route. Individuals need no reservation; groups of 20 or more must apply in advance. Enter by the West Gate, beside Gakushuin Primary School. Photography is not allowed inside the main building, and openings can be cancelled at short notice for state visits, so check the schedule before you go.

From September 17, 2026, admission to the main building and garden is 1,800 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for university students and 500 yen for junior and senior high school students; children of elementary school age and under enter free. The garden alone costs 300 yen (Cabinet Office). Yotsuya Station on the JR Chuo and Sobu lines and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi and Namboku lines is about 7 minutes away on foot; there is no parking.