Visiting Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan
Capitol details of the royal pavilion
Touring the grounds of Nijo Castle
Today I’m taking you on a tour of Nijo Castle in Kyoto is centrally located in the city and was built 1626 for the current Shogun of Japan. Even though Edo (Tokyo) was the capital, Kyoto and this castle was the home of the imperial family and shogun (ruler). Major fires destroyed various parts of the castle and grounds which were then rebuilt and placed to its full glory as a historic monument and Unesco World Heritage site.
An overhead view of one of the royal palace grounds
Ornate craftsmanship to the palace entrance
The grounds are quite large with two rings of walled fortifications and two royal palaces along with elaborate gardens that surround the palaces and fortifications. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside of the palaces so only exterior photos were taken of the grounds, gardens and palace exteriors. From some of the beautiful details of the exterior galleries and capitols, you can imagine how ornate and lavish the interiors were inside.
Here are a few photo highlights of the grounds and palace exteriors:
A zen garden on the palace grounds
Wood carvings for ventilation
Palace grounds in black and white
Detail craftsmanship
Nijo castle is a beautiful and historic place to visit and see what the typical royal residence would be like including self guided tours of the simple but elegant interiors of the royal chambers and reception areas. To see more details and for more information about this historic site, visit the official website here.
Please check out these other posts on visiting Kyoto, Japan
Beautiful gardens of Kyoto, Japan
It was a fun visit to the Nijo Castle in Kyoto, I hope you enjoyed the tour for Travel Photo Mondays. Please come and visit the blogs below for more interesting places from around the world today.
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Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it
Not really, I didn’t even know it was listed on the page, can you send me a link of this?
We had the chance to visit this palace in Kyoto and your photos bring back the memories. Am I correct that this is one where the interior had purposely creaky bamboo floors so no one could sneak up and assassinate anyone?
Yes, wasn’t that a cool experience walking through the creaky floor….it’s a fun experience!
nice details on the bouildings.
beautiful details on the buildings.
Thanks for adding this to the “History” link-up, Noel. I never tired (well maybe once) of seeing the incredible work – and the impressive natural surroundings – of the Japanese temples and castles.
Wow, Noel! Wonderful photos. Love the architectural detail ones, especially.
Wow, Noel. What a wonderful place and fab photos. Love that you got into the architectural details. I always enjoy those on interesting old buildings.
Love the detail in these photos from Kyoto! The famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando is designing a meditation space here on the beach in southern Mexico so we are quite excited to see what he creates. There is such a long legacy of amazing architecture in Japan.
What a beautiful castle. The woodcarving is amazing and I’m so glad I got to see it through your camera.
Hi Noel, Nijo Castle looks majestic; too bad you can’t share any photos of the interior. It must be even more majestic. Love your photos as usual. I particularly like the first photos. The details are beautiful and sharp that it looks 3-dimensional.
Great photos you got there Noel! Thumbs up!
The last woodcarving is exquisite! Most Japanese I know are perfectionistic, and it’s seen in the details!
Gorgeous photos Noel… I’d love to visit Japan one day!
Super details on those stunning buildings!
gorgeous detail in architectural carvings. Beautiful. Happy Mondays and thanks for hosting!
Beautiful photos…
Beautiful! Love the images and details you captured here. I can’t get enough of Japanese temples and castles. Hoping to make it to Kyoto next year.
Awesome photos. I love Nijo Castle, such a great place…i particularly love the squeaky floors 🙂