Let’s take a day visit and explore of Nijō Castle in Kyoto Japan. This UNESCO World Heritage Site once served as the Kyoto residence for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Japan Edo Period. It is one of the quick and convenient sites of history you can visit within central Kyoto city without much travelling required. The castle grounds comprise of a moated castle with several palaces, castles and gardens sitting within the tall castle walls. Let’s go!
On getting there, the castle is well served by bus services running northbound from Kyoto central station itself. It is a 10 minute bus ride on bus service 50 from Kyoto central station where Kyoto tower resides. You pay for entry tickets (1300 yen per adult) at the counters outside the main castle walls. Also, ticketing queues are never long and typical takes about a 15-minute wait tops. There are no crowd restrictions or timed entries like the Tokyo Imperial palace, so you are good for ad-hoc visitation within the castle opening hours of 8:45am to 5pm daily.
Furthermore, Nijō Castle in Kyoto feels like stepping into a preserved chapter of Japan’s feudal past. On some history, the castle was built in 1603. The complex was later used by his grandson Iemitsu and even became the site where the Tokugawa shogunate formally returned power to the Emperor in 1867. Though some buildings here were destroyed in a fire, most of the buildings here are original till today.
Ninomaru-goten Palace
Past the moat bridge and tall castle front fortification walls via the Nijo Castle’s Higashi Otemon (Grand East Gate) is a visitor admin area, where you can find sheltered rest and café restaurant area with toilets, giftshop and a gachapon corner selling Nijō Castle specific gacha toys. Not too far off here is the Ninomaru-goten Palace which you can visit as part of your standard ticket.
The Ninomaru-goten Palace is a point of interest not too far off here from the entrance. Once you reach the entrance, are greeted by the small but grand Karamon Gate. It is a richly decorated castle entrance decked in gold leaf and intricate carvings. The castle gives off tad a regal, almost theatrical feel. It is also a rather popular photo spot before entering the palace courtyard ground after. I advise to take your photos from inside the courtyard where the crowds are usually small, and as the gate design is also similar on the inside.
Furthermore, from here just past the gate is Ninomaru Palace the real highlight. The palace is original and a preserved architectural marvel. After leaving your shoes at the entrance, you walk through a linear tour route running through wide tatami rooms with sliding fusuma doors painted with cranes, tigers, and pine trees. Also, each room within and the vast shogun’s court is designed to intimidate or impress as what is expected of a venue of nobility.
Squeaky castle floors are a feature
Interestingly, if the floors creak as you wander, it is not a bug, but a feature! The squeaky floors inside Ninomaru are known as “nightingale floors”. They make a chirping when walked on, so the occupants will know of presence. It is tad an early security feature meant to alert guards of intruders. It sounds charming at first, but it really was a form of silent alarm. You notice this quirky feature throughout your walk inside the palace. The floors is said to not just squeak, but literally sing with your every step.
Moreover, you won’t find any furniture in the palace rooms. But each chamber tells its own story. The most ornate ones were used to receive feudal lords, while others served administrative purposes. Some sections are off-limits, but you can peek into almost all the rooms from behind low wooden railings. A few panels are being preserved behind glass, so expect some modern conservation efforts visible here and there.
Ninomaru Garden and Honmaru Goren palace island
Moreover, around Ninomaru palace of Nijō Castle is the lush Ninomaru Garden, secondary highlight. The garden grounds was designed by famed landscape architect Kobori Enshū.
The gardens are a classic example of Japanese stroll gardens. What you see here also varies by the seasons. You get pink cherry blossoms in spring months of April, lush green during summer till September and Autumn brown from end-October.
Also, here the layout includes carefully placed stones, a reflective pond, and trimmed pine trees. It invites you to sit and reflect with a moment of zen. Also, it is oddly calming watching the koi fish cruise around the pond. The garden is especially photogenic during cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons. Through the walk, you can encounter several buildings and living areas which makes up the palace grounds.
Honmaru keep area
Another minor site is the Honmaru keep area, this is the site of original main keep. It is surrounded by a koi-filled moat accessible via connecting bridges. Past the island main gates, you can see a variety of stone foundation which makes up the fortification protecting the castle moat and grounds. Sadly, the original Honmaru Palace was destroyed by fire in the 18th century. What you see now is a later reconstruction used by the Imperial family.
Moreover, entering the Honmaru Goren Palace grounds is optional point of interest as it is similar to the main orginal palace and not always open to the public. When it is open, it gives a good look at Meiji-era interiors. Honmaru Goren Palace opening hours of 9:30 am to 4 pm (closed on Mondays) are separate from the main Nijō Castle.
Also, on the South western corner site base of the tower keep offers a look out point. It involves a short 2 floor climb offering an elevated view of the castle grounds. If you are up for some light climbing, the Honmaru lookout is worth a few minutes.
However, it can really sunny and hot up here on the summer months. Both the island and the Ninomaru-goten Palace sits within a small 100m by 100m footprint. It is not large and should take about 30 minutes of exploration each.
Seiryu-en Garden grounds
The last part of your journey here is the Seiryū-en Garden. It resides on the far and north parts of the castle grounds. I recommend you to walk the gardens grounds back to the starting visitor entrance area, instead of retracing your steps, so every sight is new. The gardens here are a more modern addition built in the 1960s, used for official receptions.
Also, unlike the more classical Ninomaru Garden, Seiryū-en blends Western and Japanese aesthetics. Think open lawns, tea houses, and decorative rocks. Random musing includes the Seven Rocks of Kamo as well as a small lake and tea houses. The visual offerings here are tad different, but refreshing if you’ve already seen a bunch of traditional gardens around Kyoto.
There’s also a museum section that displays historical documents and artwork. Most of the panels are in Japanese, but English summaries are provided. Still, it is nothing ground-breaking, but useful if you’re interested in Tokugawa political history. If you’re not too into reading, just stick to walking the grounds. The site is large, and there’s enough to keep you busy for at least 2 hours.
Additionally, If you are visiting in summer, do bring a hat or umbrella the open courtyards offer little shade, the open gardens can also get rather sunny due to the lack of tree shade. Still, in pure Japanese fashion, you can find drink vending machines and some rest spots. The paths are mostly gravel and stone, so wear comfy shoes.
Wrapping up
All in all, that wraps up our visit and exploration of Nijō Castle. The Ninomaru-goten Palace castle grounds layered walk through politics, architecture, and cultural evolution. You are good here for about 2 hours tops, 30 minutes in the palace ground and about an hour circling the castle gardens. It’s not the flashiest castle in Japan, but it’s one of the most meaningful and convenient to visit too. If you like history that feels grounded and tactile, this one delivers and definitely worth putting on your Kyoto list when you have a couple of hours to spare within the City of Kyoto.
