National Diet Building Tour, Tokyo: Free, No Booking — Guide with Original Photos
2026-11-03 · 6 Min. Lesezeit
Japan's parliament runs free tours every hour on weekdays, and groups of nine or fewer just walk in. Here is what you see inside, in original photos.
The House of Councillors runs free tours of the National Diet Building on weekdays, every hour from 9:00 to 16:00. Groups of nine or fewer need no reservation and no ID.
💡Original photos
All photos in this article were taken on site. The interior shots are frames from a video recorded on the tour.
Diet tour quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Days | Monday–Friday (not on public holidays or over New Year) |
| Start times | Every hour on the hour, 9:00–16:00. Reception closes 5 minutes before |
| Cost | Free |
| Booking | Not needed for 9 people or fewer; groups of 10 or more must book |
| ID | Not required |
| Length | About 60 minutes |
| Reception | House of Councillors tour reception, beside the West Service Gate |
| Nearest stations | Nagatacho, Exit 1 (about 3 min walk); Kokkai-gijidomae, Exit 1 (about 6 min walk) |
⚡⏰ Tours stop around plenary sessions
On days with a plenary session, tours are suspended from one hour before it starts until it ends, and they can also be cancelled without notice. Leave some slack in your day so a cancelled slot does not wreck your plans.
① Outside the Diet Building
Site work began in August 1920 and the building was completed in November 1936. Its central tower is 65.45 m tall.
② The tour route
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A guard leads each group along a fixed route: the visitors' lobby with its exhibits, the House of Councillors chamber, the Emperor's Room (Goshūsho), the Central Hall, and finally the front garden.
③ The House of Councillors chamber
The curtained balcony at the front is the Emperor's seat. The opening ceremony of each Diet session is held in this chamber.
④ The Central Hall
The Central Hall sits directly below the central tower and rises from the 2nd to the 6th floor, 32.62 m to the ceiling, with stained glass in the ceiling and windows. Bronze statues of Itagaki Taisuke, Ōkuma Shigenobu and Itō Hirobumi, made in 1938 for the 50th anniversary of the Meiji Constitution, stand in three of its four corners. The fourth pedestal is empty: it is said to be kept for a future figure, or to stand for something unfinished.
⑤ The front garden
Before you go
- ●Bag checks start at 40 minutes past each hour. Finish check-in and the bag check by 55 minutes past.
- ●Suitcases are not allowed inside. Leave them in a station coin locker.
- ●Opened bottles, cans and flasks are checked too. Bring as little as you can.
- ●You cannot leave midway or wander off on your own; a guard leads the group throughout.
- ●Photography is generally allowed, but not while walking, where it blocks the way, or for promotion or commercial purposes. Follow the guard's instructions.
- ●Mornings are busier, and the route may be shortened when it is crowded.
- ●There is no parking for private cars; come by train.
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- ✓ Skip-the-line e-tickets
- ✓ Mobile voucher, no printing
- ✓ Free cancellation up to 24h
⏰ Mobile voucher instantly — skip the ticket line on arrival
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Tour days, times, booking rules, the route, bag and photo rules, and the building facts are from the House of Councillors website.
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