Photo Spot · Marunouchi

Gyoko-dori Avenue 行幸通り

The ceremonial boulevard from Tokyo Station to the Imperial Palace, lined with ginkgo trees and granite paving, gives the perfectly symmetrical straight-on shot of the station's red-brick façade.

HoursOpen 24 hours (public street)

ClosedOpen daily

PriceFree

Getting thereTokyo Station (Marunouchi Central Exit), 2 min; Nijubashimae Station, 3 min

Time needed15–30 minutes

Best timeSunrise or blue hour; late November for ginkgo

AddressGyoko-dori, 1-chome Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo

About

Gyoko-dori was built to connect Tokyo Station's central imperial entrance with the Imperial Palace's Wadakura Gate, and it is still the route used when newly arrived ambassadors ride in horse-drawn carriages to present their credentials to the Emperor. Restored in 2010 as a pedestrian-friendly boulevard, its wide central strip of granite and rows of ginkgo give a dead-centre view of the 1914 Marunouchi station building, framed by the Marunouchi and Shin-Marunouchi towers. In late November the ginkgo turn gold, and in winter Marunouchi's illumination lights the area. It is open sky, free and quiet early in the morning: the best place in Tokyo for a symmetrical architecture frame.

Highlights

Dead-centre symmetrical view of Tokyo Station's red-brick Marunouchi building
Golden ginkgo canopy in late November and early December
Ambassador carriage processions on credential-presentation days
Marunouchi Building and Shin-Marunouchi Building as flanking towers
Leads straight to the moats and Wadakura Fountain Park

Tips

Stand on the central line near the Marunouchi Building end and use 24-35 mm; early morning on weekends is nearly empty.
Blue hour gives the floodlit station against a deep sky.
The Imperial Household Agency does not publish carriage dates far ahead; if you see mounted police and a cleared lane, wait.
Use the underground walkway in rain, then pop up for the shot.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Gyoko-dori Avenue 行幸通り

About

Highlights

Tips

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