+1. The Imperial Palace tour in Kyoto is ok if you are there during one of the special "garden times," like cherry blossoms, plum blossoms or the fall color change. I took some kids during cherry blossoms and it was quite beautiful, even though we couldn't actually go inside the buildings. The Sento Gosho is not actually one of the historic imperial palaces. That burned down long ago. The remaining structures are nice and the garden quite beautiful but the "palace" is less than a hundred years old and was constructed as a place for the emperor or crown prince to stay when they visit Kyoto. The Sento Gosho is actually inside the Imperial Palace park, not far from the real thing.

For a true historical view of how the rulers lived back in the old days, you can see inside the Imperial Palace in Kyoto but not enter. I recommend a visit to Nijo Castle, which you can actually enter.