Shogun Residence | Nijo Castle, Kyoto

Ninomaru Palace

Going to Nijo Castle was both an exciting and bitter journey for me. I loved learning about the samurai, their duty to protect feudal lords and their way of life, but on top of that I felt a little spiteful too because I was promised a visit to a ninja museum. Who knew that among my friends were still the rare population of people who believed the samurai and ninja were identical -_- Technically at some point in history some samurais became ninjas but that still didn’t make them one and the same.

Regardless, my friends wrote in our itinerary that we were visiting Nijo Castle in the afternoon so off we went. When we got on the bus there were so many little kiddies who I suppose were going on a trip of their own. They were these cute little 4-5 year olds. I wanted to put one in my pocket! Like a creep.

As we passed through the streets of Kyoto I noticed many men and women wearing yukatas which were summer (or lighter) versions of the full kimono. Our Japanese friend told us that in Kyoto many loved wearing yukatas casually in summer that foreigners as well as locals can actually hire one for a day.

We finally got to Nijo Castle and purchased our tickets. I would just like to point out that before you walk across the bridge and through the gate’s archway, take some time to look over at the water surrounding the moat. There are these cute little turtles just swimming around below vying for attention, so give them the time of day will ya?

As soon as you enter the gates, you instantly see wax figures of noblemen who turn out to be samurai.

We saw more structures carrying the Imperial Family crest which perfectly resembled the architecture we learned about at the Imperial Palace. One of these is the Karamon gate (pictured above) which was just beautiful! It frames a view of the Ninomaru Palace, the home of Japan's shogun. Inside Ninomaru was unfortunately a zone of no photography (but you can still sneak a look at photos taken by some naughty travellers on tripadvisor).

Inside the palace we experienced walking through the creaky floors which alerted the samurai of unwanted guests and which ultimately helped protect the shogun from the enemy. We also got to see where the samurais hid. Apparently they hid within walls and doors that had huge tassles on them. I reckon this was such a clever tactic. For all we know the samurai could be out having tea but the enemy would still presume their presence behind those tassles.

Can you spot the cranes?

Nijo Castle was quite aesthetic and the gardens held such beauty and tranquility. Even though I spent my time walking through the gardens while playing a word game with my friends (because we're very mature like that), half paying attention and even writing on my diary back home “it was all grass and a few trees” it was actually very stunning. They also had these really pleasant ponds and a (real) crane or two residing on top of a rock as you can see in the pictures above.

We crossed into the inner moat and went up some damned steep stairs to the look-out tower and to behold one grand view! It was a sweet taste of what it would have been like in traditional Japan and was also a peek into the realm of  filming (as it was commonly used in movies like the Last Samurai). See what I meant by all grass and trees? I meant it in a good way :) 

After experiencing the amazing view surrounding the castle, we headed back down, crossed another bridge into the outer moat, and walked through a long lane of trees. These were actually cherry blossom trees and visiting Nijo Castle while they’re in bloom would have made an excellent bonus to any visit! Unfortunately our visit fell during summer so we missed out on that opportunity. At night, this promenade under the eaves of the cherry blossom trees are lit up with different coloured lighting. I heard it was pretty.

Overall, Nijo Castle was a great and informative visit to learn about the samurai and the political happenings of the Tokugawa Era. Even though there were no ninjas the visit was still well worth it. Honestly, in such a compact space there were so many things to see and experience. One minute you’re inside the castle, next you’re strolling along beautiful gardens and then suddenly you’re gliding above spectacular views. I definitely recommend this place.