Nijo Castle is more than 400 years old. Tokugawa Ieyasu built it in the Edo period, and it stands in the center of Kyoto.
It marks both the beginning and the end of the Edo period.

The castle has two main parts: the Honmaru Palace (Important Cultural Property) and the grand Ninomaru Palace (National Treasure). Inside the Ninomaru Palace, you can see beautiful sliding-door paintings. You can also see the Great Hall, where Tokugawa Yoshinobu announced the return of political power to the Emperor.

The castle also has gardens from different eras, including a Momoyama-style pond garden and a Western-style garden in the Honmaru area. Nijo Castle is famous for its cherry blossoms. You can also enjoy plum trees in early spring, azaleas in early summer, weeping pagoda trees in summer, and autumn leaves in fall. In 1994, it was registered as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.”

The Kyoto Imperial Palace keeps the old style of the Emperor’s residence. The current buildings were built in 1855. Until 1869, emperors lived here and held ceremonies and official duties.

You can see how building styles changed from the Heian period onward. The main buildings include Shishinden, Seiryoden, Kogosho, Ogakumonjo, and Gotsunegoten. Together with the gardens and wall paintings, they show Japan’s traditional culture.

Guided tours are given by staff in Japanese, English, and Chinese.