Nijo-jo Castle was the only saving grace that I found in Kyoto. After taking the train from Kobe to Kyoto my friend, Andy, and I spent a good two hours circling the Kyoto Station in search of the tourist information center, TIC, which was suppose to be located in a building across from the station…it wasn’t. By complete chance we headed to a mall across of the station out of frustration and accidentally ran across another TIC, however this was for Japanese tourists only. We were told that the international traveler TIC would be found further up a staircase. The stairs lead us past several floors in the mall and ended up in what appeared to be a department store. A sales associate told us to follow signs that were posted to get to the TIC. The signs looped us around the store and down a hallway that appeared to have been abandoned for a while. In short we did find the TIC, but it was completely hidden and more of a hassle then anything to find. The one good thing was that we ended up with maps of the area and were pointed in the direction of Nijo-jo Castle. In front of the mall is a bus station. Here we got a ticket for bus number 9 that took us right to the castle.

Nijo-jo castle is nothing short of beautiful and its legendary Nightingale floors make it a fun place to walk around. Built in 1603 it was the home of the Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu. The castle was built not only to function as his home, but also as a reminder as the shogun’s ever-increasing power over that of the Emperor. Admission is 600 yen, which is paid at the gate. This allows access to the Ninomauru Palace, which is divided into five buildings. Each building is filled with fabulous period art and spectacular screen paintings. In some of the rooms mannequins are placed in period clothing to mimic the day-to-day activities that would take place in a particular room. The interior of the palace is fitted with Nighingale floors that were to alert everyone if there was an intruder in the building. Even the lightest set on these floors will produce the sound that is loud enough to be heard throughout the corridor. Shoes are not allowed to be worn inside the castle. There is a large area with cubbies, where shoes can be placed upon entering and collected on the way out.

The buildings aren’t the only attraction on the grounds. The gardens outside rival the beauty of the art inside and the sound of the Nightingale floors. The Ninomaura Palace Garden was designed by Kobori Enshu and incorporated streams that wind through the grounds with beautifully manicured shrubs, trees, and hills. The garden itself seems to be a masterfully constructed work of art in itself.

Nijo Castle was built in the 17th century to accommodate the Tokugawa Shoguns. Today, it's still in fantastic shape and a great place to learn about Japan in feudal times.

Your first view of Nijo Castle will be the imposing moat and bright white fortifications. There's only one open entrance to this large fortress and it's on the east side, across a large bridge. First you must purchase a ticket on the outside, by using a ticket machine. Put your money in first and then select the ticket you want (600 yen for adults and less for children).

Once inside the castle, head towards the Ninomaru Palace. Be sure to remove your shoes and put on the provided slippers. This part of the castle contains beautiful screen paintings and information about how life used to be in the castle. The first thing you may notice is that the floor squeaks like a bird! These clever nightingale floors were constructed to alert the occupants to any invaders.

After visiting the buildings within the castle, you'll get to wander through the gardens. These peaceful gardens are especially beautiful when the cherry blossoms are out or during the turning of the Fall foliage.

On the way out, you'll pass many food vendors and have the option of buying souvenirs and partaking of a snack or meal.

Nijo Castle hosts various events throughout the year. The fee is usually quite small. When I visited, in early spring, the castle was open after 6pm for nighttime viewing of the cherry blossoms. There was also live koto and taiko music being played near the exit. Be sure to ask at the entrance if anything special is taking place.

Nijo-jo (jo=Castle) was built during the 17th century by the ruling shogun (warlord) Tokugawa Ieyasu. Although the seat of the government was located in Edo (present-day Tokyo), Kyoto still remained the old capital where the powerless Imperial family lived. Nijo-jo was extravagantly built in Kyoto in a deliberate attempt to remind the Imperial family of the shogun's power and influence. I covered the grounds of Nijo-jo in about 3 hours. Nijo-jo is comprised of two separate palaces (Ninomaru and Honmaru) and their respective palace gardens, as well as other smaller gardens that are enclosed within the outer moat of the palace grounds.

Ninomaru Palace is the only original structure that dates back to the Edo period. Honmaru Palace was destroyed during a great fire back in 1750 and in 1788, and the current Honmaru structure was moved from the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds between 1893 to 1894. Honmaru Palace is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, and it is only open during special viewing dates. The castle's main attraction is Ninomaru Palace, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu and a designated national treasure. The palace contains 33 different rooms that are linked by countless corridors and sliding doors. The highlight of Ninomaru Palace are its intricate wall-paintings. Each room in the palace served for a specifically-ranked purpose (so the samurai, ministers, ranked officials, and the shogun conducted businesses in their respective rooms). The wall paintings in each room have different motifs (tigers, peacocks, pine trees, blossoms), in many ways representing the use and the ranking of each room. Aside from the wall paintings, the ceiling panels are also different for each palace section, depicting subtle details that helped separate the rooms.

The attention to detail is not only confined to ceiling panels wall paintings. Book-shelf doors were also delicately painted on both sides. There are also countless wooden carvings above the wall paintings that deserve attention. The palace gardens are less impressive, but nevertheless, it is a peaceful stroll. When walking away from Ninomaru Palace's garden, you will enter the Honmaru palace grounds, which is surrounded by another moat. Along its garden trail, you can climb an elevated platform on the western side to get a nice look of the surrounding moat and of Ninomaru Palace.