Imperial Palace New Year Greeting 2027: Sat 2 Jan in Tokyo, Last Year's Times, Gates and Bag Check

The New Year Greeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo (Shinnen Ippan Sanga) is held every year on 2 January, which falls on a Saturday in 2027. Last time (2026) visitors entered through the Main Gate (Nijubashi) between 9:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m., free and without registration, and the Emperor and Empress appeared five times on the balcony of the Chowa-Den Hall. The Imperial Household Agency had not yet published its 2027 arrangements when we checked on 14 October 2026, so every time below is from the official 2026 notice. Check the agency's New Year Greeting page before you go.

Checked 2026-10-14. Official page: https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/en/visit/greeting/sanga01.html

At a glance

Appearance times last year (2026)

The agency's 2026 notice listed five appearances, all approximate.

That is three in the morning and two in the afternoon. The members of the Imperial Family who join Their Majesties change from one appearance to the next, and the agency said it would announce them later. For 2027, the number of appearances, the times and who appears will only be known once the agency publishes the new notice.

Do you need to register? Is it free?

The 2026 notice from the Imperial Household Agency describes no application or ticket. The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau's GO TOKYO site says visitors could "directly attend" and lists the price as "Free". Whether 2027 follows the same format will be confirmed in the 2027 notice.

When to arrive: the 2:10 p.m. gate and the bag check

• The entrance closed at 2:10 p.m. last time. The final appearance (around 2:20 p.m.) is for people who were already inside by then.
• Every visitor goes through a baggage inspection and security check at the gate, so the agency asks people to arrive well before closing time.
• The agency asks people not to queue near the Imperial Palace Outer Garden from the evening of 1 January or the small hours of 2 January. Overnight queuing is not welcome.
• "In order to allow as many people as possible to visit, please do not stay for more than one appearance." In practice, you see one appearance and then walk out.

Gates and route through the palace

You can only enter through the Main Gate (Nijubashi); the exit gates cannot be used to get in. Visitors cross into the palace grounds, gather in the East Court (Totei) in front of the Chowa-Den Hall, and leave by Sakashita-mon, Kikyo-mon, Ote-mon or Inui-mon gate (2026 arrangement). The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are closed that day, but departing visitors may walk through them and leave by Ote-mon Gate. The plaza in front of the palace is gravel and there are slopes inside, so the agency advises against high heels or other shoes that are hard to walk in.

Bag check: what not to bring

From the 2026 notice:

• Keep belongings to a minimum. Leave carry-on cases and other large items in station lockers.
• Do not bring knives or scissors, even small legal ones; they slow down the inspection.
• Entry is refused to anyone with an animal (guide dogs excepted), anyone drunk, and anyone carrying dangerous objects, flagpoles, drones or large luggage that could get in the way.
• Inside the grounds you may not smoke, drink alcohol, use selfie sticks, tripods or stepladders, or hand out leaflets.

Getting there: by train, no parking

• Nearest stations: Nijubashimae Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line) is an 11-minute walk and Hibiya Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Mita Line) a 12-minute walk, according to GO TOKYO. The agency's 2026 route map (PDF) also marks Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side), Otemachi, Sakuradamon and Hibiya stations, with the entry and exit routes.
• By car: there is no parking, and stopping on the roads around the palace is prohibited. The agency asks visitors to use public transport.
• Address: 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo.

Wheelchairs and sign language

According to the agency, no wheelchairs are lent at the venue, so bring your own if you need one. There is a dedicated wheelchair area in the East Court, and the Emperor's words are interpreted into sign language there. The agency's Japanese notice also lists a telephone information line (03-3211-1475). All of this is from the 2026 notice.

Can it be cancelled?

Yes. The agency's Japanese notice says the New Year Greeting may be cancelled because of snow, stormy weather and similar conditions. Since 2019 it has not been held three times: in 2021 and 2022 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and in 2024 in light of the damage from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (Imperial Household Agency visitor figures page). Whether 2027 goes ahead will be confirmed by the agency's own announcement.

Visitor numbers since 2020

Source: Imperial Household Agency, "Number of visitors to the New Year Greeting (Reiwa era)", checked 2026-10-14.

What the New Year Greeting is

The Imperial Household Agency describes it as the event at which the Emperor and Empress receive New Year greetings from the public at the Imperial Palace every 2 January. It began on 1 January 1948 as a register-signing visit; in 1951 Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun appeared before visitors for the first time; from 1953 the date moved to 2 January; and since 1969 it has been held at the present palace. The other public greeting each year is on the Emperor's Birthday, 23 February.

Other New Year events

For the turn of the year in Kyoto, see Joya-no-Kane at Chion-in; for a first shrine visit in Osaka, see Sumiyoshi Taisha Hatsumode.

Checked on and sources

This page was compiled on 2026-10-14 from the Imperial Household Agency's New Year Greeting notice (English) and Japanese notice, its pages on the New Year Greeting's history and visitor numbers, the 2026 route map PDF and the public greetings index, and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau's GO TOKYO listing. Check the 2027 notice on the agency's site once it is published.

Update log: published 2026-10-14. Reflects the 2027 date (Saturday 2 January), the 2026 entry hours and five appearance times, gates, bag-check rules, access, past cancellations and visitor numbers.