Originally built in 1603 and holding World Heritage Site status, Nijo Castle presents an exemplary look at Japanese feudal architecture. The castle served as a residence to the first Edo shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the complex contains two concentric circles of moat and wall fortifications, surrounding the central palace and auxiliary buildings. Observe the sound you make as you walk through the corridors connecting various buildings on the "nightingale floors" designed to make noise and warn guards against intruders. PutNijo Castle into our Kyoto road trip site and find out what's close by, where to stay, and where to head next.
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Nijo Castle reviews
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“Shogun, where are you?” was my only thought when I was wandering through Nijo Castle. The entrance is quite expensive, but it worths it.
“Shogun, where are you?” was my only thought when I was wandering through Nijo Castle. The entrance is quite expensive, but it worths it. more »
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The palace was not open due to the New Year holidays but the garden was open. Most of the buildings were being renovated anyways so we wouldn’t have been able to go inside. It would be worth visiting.... more
The palace was not open due to the New Year holidays but the garden was open. Most of the buildings were being renovated anyways so we wouldn’t have been able to go inside. It would be worth visiting.... more »
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Enormous to just walk by and wonder how did they build that so long ago with the huge stones. Great history. Warriors challenged the existing emperor in Kyoto. Moats. Nightingale floors that squeaked to signal the presence of an invader. Build in 1600. Unique.
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Of course Nijo Castle is beautiful. However, it really does not feel very special compared to some of the other options in Kyoto. If you are staying for several days, by all means go take a look. However, if you're short on time, I'd recommend skipping it. Most of the paintings in the building are reproductions, since the originals are safe elsewhere - which made the visit much less exciting. The garden is nice but there are nicer ones all over Japan. Date of experience: October 2016.
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