The Imperial palace was not consistently named as such; it bears the name Edo castle and is located around a large park surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo, a short walk from Tokyo Station. It is the residence of Japan's Imperial Family.
Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun, who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and imperial residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. With such construction, a new Imperial Palace was completed. The palace was once destroyed during World War Two and rebuilt in the same style afterward.
There was no sign of such a history present when looking at it; it was indeed a beautiful place, serene and peaceful, completely cut off from the modern civilization surrounding it.
