State Guest House Akasaka Palace
Neo-baroque former imperial residence turned state guest house, modeled on Versailles and the Hofburg.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the State Guest House Akasaka Palace in Tokyo begins with a fire lighting the night sky over the building you're standing in, then reaches back to why it was built at all: a Versailles-and-Hofburg-inspired residence completed in 1909 for Crown Prince Yoshihito, who took one look and refused to live in it. The empty palace later sheltered a young Hirohito after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Notice how thick the walls are as you pass them.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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