Hanzomon Walking Guide — 4 Spots from Palace Moats to Buddhist Art

Around Hanzomon Station there are 4 walking spots, ranging from a Buddhist art museum to a park along the Imperial Palace moat. Buddhist statues, cameras, a Tenjin shrine and a row of cherry trees — the themes are wildly different, yet all of them sit within walking distance of each other, and that is what makes this area interesting. Stone steps and a torii gate appear between office buildings, and a few minutes later you are standing beside the moat of Edo Castle.

Suggested order: [Hirakawa Tenmangu Shrine](/en/spot/cf7372c4-04e1-4bc0-ab7a-803d111dc41f) → [JCII Camera Museum](/en/spot/69aaf77f-9b47-4145-8218-2af0c7a8abd7) → [Chidorigafuchi Park](/en/spot/e9e26825-1f44-43dd-b870-194722c26633) → [Hanzomon Museum](/en/spot/5d4b6289-d93b-4bde-afe0-a9460b57468d). Start at a shrine in the middle of the city, walk along the moat, and finish in a quiet exhibition room.

[Hirakawa Tenmangu Shrine](/en/spot/cf7372c4-04e1-4bc0-ab7a-803d111dc41f)

A shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, founded in 1478 by Ota Dokan inside the grounds of Edo Castle. It was later moved to its present location in Kojimachi. The bronze torii gate at the front is designated a cultural property of Chiyoda City, and the sight of stone steps and a torii continuing between office buildings is unique to this neighborhood. Starting your walk here makes it clear how much of old Edo remains inside the business district.

[JCII Camera Museum](/en/spot/69aaf77f-9b47-4145-8218-2af0c7a8abd7)

A museum specializing in cameras, located a short distance from Hanzomon Station. It was opened in 1989 by the Japan Camera Industry Institute and displays historic cameras from Japan and abroad, along with materials tracing the path the Japanese camera industry has taken. Because you look closely at small machines one by one, it suits moments when you want quiet time in the middle of a walk.

[Chidorigafuchi Park](/en/spot/e9e26825-1f44-43dd-b870-194722c26633)

A long, narrow park that follows Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats of the Imperial Palace. The moat was originally dug to defend Edo Castle; today a row of cherry trees leans over the water beside a walking path. Walking from Hanzomon Station toward Kudan, you get the moat on one side and trees on the other, and you can rest on a bench watching waterbirds and the greenery on the far bank. It is the only outdoor spot in this guide, so give it extra time on a clear day.

[Hanzomon Museum](/en/spot/5d4b6289-d93b-4bde-afe0-a9460b57468d)

A museum of Buddhist art right by Hanzomon Station. It opened in 2018 and its collection includes a seated Dainichi Nyorai statue believed to be the work of Unkei. The exhibition rooms are quiet and dimly lit, so stopping in after walking along the palace moat makes for a break that resets your mood. Being close to the station, it is an easy place to end the walk.

Walking tip: Three of the 4 spots are indoors, and only Chidorigafuchi Park is outside. Simply reordering the route — museums first on a rainy day, a longer stretch along the moat on a sunny one — changes the whole feel of the walk. Note that no budget figures are registered for these 4 spots, so please check costs at each facility.