Vikingess Voyages: Nikko: A visit to the Emperor's Summer House

The Tamozawa Imperial Villa (Tamozawa Goyōtei 田母沢御用邸) is a must to stop by for visitors to Nikko who are interested in Japanese history. The story of the Imperial Villa goes back to 1632, when Empress Meisho ordered the construction of a building connected to the palace for her relatives situated in what today is Tokyo's Akasaka area. Parts of this building was deconstructed and moved to Nikko in 1899, where it was expanded to become the new Imperial Villa for Emperor Taisho. It was used as the summer residence of the imperial family for many years, until it became the hideaway of the Showa Emperor during World War 2. Since then the building was unused for many years and suffered severely from neglect, but was opened to the public in 2000 after it had undergone extensive renovation.

With its 106 rooms, it is also one of the largest remaining wooden buildings in Japan, and you can enjoy the architectural mix of Japanese and Western style. Although there isn't much furniture left in the building it is still amazing to see the elegantly decorated sliding doors, the gorgeous carpets, and the delicate paper walls.

Western carpet in Japanese room

A map of the summer house

The hidden garden in the center of the property

In addition to the summer house itself, you can also enjoy the garden surrounding the house, known as the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park. We went for a small walk around the premise and were entertained by the view of a young girl walking around dressed up in her kimono by the nearby pond.

The summer house seen from the garden

After we were done sightseeing we enjoyed a cup of coffee at the small cafe inside the Memorial Park.

Address: 〒321-1434 栃木県日光市本町８−２７

The Imperial Villa is located 10 minutes by bus from the JR Tobu Nikko station, and can also be reached by foot by walking ten minutes to the west of the Shin-kyō bridge along the main road.