Nijō Castle in Kyoto is a former imperial villa built for the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603. Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first shogun of the Edo Period in Japan (1603-1867). The shogun was much like the president, while the emperor held a position similar to the pope.
Nijō Castle was one of the most impressive historical sites we visited in Japan. The outside is cool, but the inside of the Ninomaru Palace was the highlight. Ninomaru Palace provided the shogun's residence and office when he stayed in Kyoto. Some of the wall paintings are original and the shogun's office is a remarkable sight. Visitors can truly taste the samurai culture of the feudal period.
Unfortunately photography is banned inside the Ninomaru Palace.
However I think you can appreciate the pictures I took outside.
The karamon main gate to Ninomaru Palace.
The Ninomaru Palace
Our helpful and friendly tour guide, Noga. He traveled with our crew all the way across Japan.
Hanging Bells were used to inform people about attacks, fires, and other emergencies.
These two bells originated from the Shimoyashiki villa and were brought to Nijō Castle around 1867.
A view of the back of the Ninomaru Palace.
The Ninomaru Garden is a traditional Japanese garden behind the palace.
Nijō Castle is truly a special sight to see. It is one of the 17 historic monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated as a World Heritage Site.
Michelle and I took a month to travel across Japan and China this past May. It was epic! Follow me @slickwilly and Michelle @curiouser for posts about our adventures!
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Hi there, I’m Will. First and foremost I am an entrepreneur and voluntaryist. I aspire to help build a more free world, one that we all want to live in. Some of my biggest passions include cryptocurrencies, marketing, finance, cannabis, traveling, bodybuilding, snowboarding, motorcycles, and Subarus. All pictures are my own, taken with a GS7 Edge or GoPro Hero 4. I release everything under CC0 unless otherwise stated.
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