Akasaka Palace 3.49

Akasaka Palace, or the State Guest House, is one of the two State Guesthouses of the Government of Japan. The palace was originally built as the Imperial Palace for the Crown Prince in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the government of Japan as an official accommodation for visiting state dignitaries. Located in the Moto Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, the building took on its present function in 1974, having previously been an imperial detached palace. In 2009 the palace was designated as a National Treasure of Japan.OverviewThe building has 15,000 m² of floor space, and together with a smaller structure in the Japanese style, occupies a 117,000 m² site.The main building is a Neo-Baroque style Western building in Japan, resembling in particular Buckingham Palace, and it is one of biggest buildings constructed during the Meiji period.Outside and around the palace area is a footpath unobstructed by road crossings. The footpath is about 3.25 km long (roughly 2 miles).The nearest station to the Palace is Yotsuya Station.HistoryThe territory that Akasaka Palace now occupies was part of the residence of Kishū Domain, one of the major branches of the ruling Tokugawa clan family. during the Tokugawa period. After the Meiji restoration, the Owari presented the land to the Imperial Household.