Before Tokyo (Edo) became the seat of the emporer in Japan, that job was entrusted to Kyoto - and interestingly before that it was Nara. Obviously for the Emporer to have a home, he must have a Palace. The Palace in Kyoto is actually far more impressive than the one in Tokyo, being both more accessible and certainly architecturally more interesting. You can get a full tour of the place by applying to the Imperial Household some weeks before (in Japanese) and getting a special ticket if sapce is available. I am lucky enough to have been on that tour. I carried along a Mamiya 645 Pro TL Medium Format camera and lots of film. So here are some photos. As usual, Medium Format simply beats the pants of anything - inluding digital - for quality of result.
