Billion Dollar House #2
The Imperial Palace, Tokyo
Tokyo's finest real estate! As it stands now, the Imperial Palace, home to Emperor Akihito and family, is open only two days of the year: on Dec. 23 (the Emperor's birthday) and Jan. 2. Known for its meticulously manicured gardens, the palace sits on a couple hundred acres of prime Tokyo real estate. It has often been called the most expensive real estate in the world. Built in the late 19th century and destroyed during World War II, the palace was reconstructed in the late 1960s. Despite its urban setting, the estate comes with moats, stone walls and gardens and is said to have a private marine biology laboratory (the emperor is a marine biology enthusiast). The crown prince, Narhuhito, and his bride, Masako, were married there at the cypress wood sanctuary, known as the "Place of Awe." In fact, the whole palace is pretty awesome!
