Nijo Castle
Nijo-jo or Nijo Castle, is perhaps the most important attraction in Kyoto. It’s the castle where the Tokugawa Shoguns lived while they controlled Japan for nearly three hundred years. It was completed in 1627 and is now a World Heritage site, accordig to UNESCO.
It is a large fortified area, with two moats and walls, one inside the other. The Ninomaru Palace is the oldest structure, and contains lavish decorations, such as gold-layered screen doors and paintings by members of the Kano school.
In the inner section of Nijo Castle is Honmaru Castle, which is only open on special occasions in autumn. It’s less lavish than Ninomaru and was originally built at a different site then transported there.
A close-up on the detail of the main gate leading to Ninomaru Palace
Okay, you say, I’m not interested in the history of it all, and I don’t care if it’s a grand example of architecture from a period in Japan’s history that you would miss if you blinked at the wrong time. Why should I care about Ninomaru and Nijo Castle?
Two words: Nightingale Floors.
All of Ninomaru Palace is decked out in nightingale floors from nearly 400 years ago. They squeak quite loudly as the tourists shuffle along them, so you feel like you’re in samurai times, and soon the guards will come running at the sounds of your squeaks.
Ninomaru Palace, the oldest structure at Nijo Castle and home to some damn cool nightingale floors
There’s also secret compartments that the guards would hide in while the Shogun was holding court, and really quite beautiful gold-painted screen doors, or at least copies of them. On the same grounds is the storage facility for the Ninomaru artworks, which explains how they researched, restored and made copies of the screen doors. You can also see the originals in safer conditions.
Throughout the grounds are great Japanese gardens, including the obligatory carp ponds, and a Zen garden, where for ¥700 you can be served matcha green tea and a sweet, while contemplating the positioning of the rocks against the harmony of the trees, or something like that.
Honmaru Palace - it’s closed most of the year.
You’ll easily spend about 2 - 3 hours in Nijo Castle - more if you visit the art museum or Honmaru Palace. I’ve ben twice already and would definitely see it again on my next visit to Kyoto. Be warned that Nijo Castle closes at 4pm and may be closed on certain days throughout the year. Best to check beforehand. I recommend visiting first thing in the morning, then perhaps moving to the Imperial Palace nearby, so you can compare Shogun grandeur with that of the Emperors.
Links:
Wikipedia article on Nijo Castle
City of Kyoto’s page on Nijo Castle (Japanese, but has links to English PDF files at the bottom)
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