Kyoto : Nijo Castle

Kyoto's Nijo castle is a flatland castle which was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. While the Tokugawa shogunate moved the capital to Tokyo (erstwhile Edo), the Imperial court was based in Kyoto. Construction of the castle took place over a period of 23 years and was completed by Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu. 

The Nijo castle is divided into three areas- Honmaru, Ninomaru and the gardens surrounding them. The castle grounds and buildings are surrounded by stone walls and moats. 

The Ninomaru palace consists of five wooden buildings lavishly decorated with wooden carvings and covered with gold leaf. 

The shogunate's style of architecture displayed their wealth as is visible in various buildings built during the Edo period, for instance the Toshogu shrine and Taiyu-in Byo temples in Nikko or the Kunozan Toshogu shrine in Shizuoka. The sliding doors and walls are also decorated with lavish wall paintings by renown artists. The Nagoya castle's Honmaru castle is another example of this style of decoration. Entrance to the Ninomaru castle is through its Chinese style Karamon gate.

Low ranking officials and guests were received in the outer areas of Ninomaru while only the high ranking officials were welcomed into the inner chambers. The Ninomaru Palace is well known for its 'Nightingale Floor' corridor. The floors were constructed in such a way that they squeaked like nightingales when walked upon. This was to alert the occupants about any attempts to breach into the palace. Visitors can now see various displays depicting life in the Ninomaru palace during the Shogunate period.

Honmaru Palace is divided into 4 parts - Entrance halls, Reception and Entertainment area, Kitchen and Living quarters. The four parts are connected by corridors and courtyards. Originally the Honmaru was similar to the Ninomaru and consisted about 55 buildings. It was destroyed by fires in the 18th century and was not rebuilt.

In 1893, an imperial villa from the Katsura Imperial Palace was moved to the Nijo castle and renamed as the Honmaru. The enthronement banquet of Emperor Showa was held in the Honmaru in 1928. The Honmaru is not open to public regularly unlike the Ninomaru. 

The stone foundation of the old castle keep is located on the Nijo castle ground close to the Honmaru and visitors can climb up to have a nice view of the Nijo castle grounds.

The third part of the Nijo castle are the various gardens and groves surrounding the Honmaru and Ninomaru.   

The Nijo castle has been a witness of the rise and fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. After the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1867, the Nijo Castle was used as an Imperial palace until it was donated to the city in 1939 who opened it to public a year later. 

The Nijo castle is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a popular tourist spot in Kyoto. It is one of the places in Kyoto which is almost always packed with groups of school students visiting the city on a study trip.

Address: Kyoto Prefecture 604-8301, Kyoto, Nakagyo ku, Nijojocho 541, Nijo jo

Phone: 075-841-0096

Opening Hours: 8:45-17:00 hrs 

Closing days: Tuesdays in Jan, July, Aug and Dec ( closed on following day if Tuesday is a national holiday. Also closed from December 26-Jan 4th annually. 

Entrance Fees: Adults- 600 yen ; 
                        Junior High and High School students: 350 yen                             
                         Elementary school students 200 yen

English Website: Click here

Audio guides: English Audio guides available for a rental of 500 yen.

Hiking : Mt Kinka, Gifu Castle and Gifu Park

Few weeks back we decided to go hiking. The weather is getting cooler and it is the perfect time to go on hikes. We decided to hike up Mt Kinka in the neighbouring Gifu Prefecture. 

Mt Kinka is a 329 meter high mountain in Gifu city in Gifu Prefecture. Hikers can choose from 4 trails with different levels of difficulty to hike up the mountain. The Meisoku no Komichi trail is the easiest of the four trails but it has some difficult stretches too. Our daughter was so excited about the hike that she was leading us in the hike. Apparently her teacher had hiked up the mountain in summer and had shared her experience in the class. Looks like that was the motivating factor ! 

Those who are not so keen to hike can ride the Mt Kinka Rope way which takes 3 minutes to reach the top. The hiking trails take about 76 to 90 minutes to reach the top. We hiked the Meisoku no Komichi (Meditation path)trail while ascending and we walked down the Hyaku Magari (Hundred turns)Trail on our way back. The Hyaku Magari trail is 1100 meters long but very steep while the Meisoku no Komichi trail is 2900 meters long but is comparatively easier to hike. All the trails begin from or near the large Gifu Park. The rope way station is also in the Gifu Park. 

The historic Gifu castle is on top of Mt Kinka. The castle was built in the 13th century and was previously called the Inabayama castle and belonged to the Saito clan till it was captured by Oda Nobunaga, one of the three powerful lords in the history of Japan. He built his home near the foot of the Mt Kinka. 

The current keep is a 1956 construction and was restored again in 1997. Various artifacts are displayed inside the castle on its 3 floors. 

Armours, arms, pottery and paintings provide an insight into the life of the feudal lords of that era. Various pictures and boards explain the history of Oda Nobunaga and the Gifu castle. 

An interesting Western Clock stands at the entrance to Gifu castle.

The view of Gifu city, the Nagaragawa river, the Japan Alps in the background and even the skyscrapers of Nagoya can be enjoyed from the observation deck on the topmost floor of castle.

Mt Ontake, an active Volcano which was in the news recently for its eruption, can be seen in the background. 

The Gifu castle museum near the castle also has some artifacts on display. Close by is the Reesumura - squirrel village is small petting zoo where visitors can feed and play with tame squirrels. 

After our hike we also walked around Gifu park. 

A vermillion pagoda stands at the foot of Mt Kinka. 

The Japan China Friendship garden is a small park with attractive Chinese architecture. 

The garden was constructed in 1989 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of friendship between Gifu city and Hangzhou city in China. 

We also visited the Gokoku Shrine, a Shinto Shrine close to Gifu park. 

Before returning home, we also stopped by at the Shoho-ji Temple, which houses the Great Buddha of Gifu, one of the three Great Buddhas' of Japan. I will cover it in a separate post. 

Address:  Gifu prefecture 500-8003, Gifu city, Gifu Koen 

Phone: 058-263-4853

Opening hours : Gifu castle : 9:30-17:30 hrs (closing 16:30 between Oct-March)  

                          Mt Kinka Ropeway: 9:00-18:00 hrs ( closing 17:00 hrs between Oct-March)

Entrance fees : Gifu Park : free

                         Gifu Castle : Adults 200 yen ; Children 100 yen 

Parking : Ample Free car parking available near the riverside car parking lot. 

Nagoya Castle : Honmaru Palace

Nagoya's most popular attraction is undoubtedly its castle, Nagoya-jo. I have already covered information of the castle along with pictures in a separate post- Click here to view. As such I will not repeat the same. This post is entirely about the Castle's Honmaru Palace. The palace was under reconstruction and entry was restricted during my previous visit and hence I could not cover it in my previous post on Nagoya Castle. 

Few days back, we had a friend visiting us in Nagoya and we visited the Nagoya Castle with her. This time we could visit the Honmaru Palace. While parts of the palace are still under reconstruction, we could view the beautiful screen paintings that Honmaru is well known for. The construction began in 2009 and are scheduled to be completed in 2018. In 2013, a part of the palace including the main audience hall featuring the replicated paintings were opened to public. 

The original Honmaru Palace was constructed in 1615 and was the home of the lord of Owari province. The building was built in a traditional Japanese architecture style called "shoin-zukuri". The current reconstruction has been aimed at restoring the palace to its erstwhile glory. 

The Honmaru Palace is reputed for its ornate decorations and beautiful painted screens. The most popular of the painted screens are the one's featuring the tigers. 

Many other animals and birds are also painted on the screen doors.

The metal fittings are also carved and show influence of Western and Islamic art. 

The most formal room the Omote Shoin is also the largest room in the palace.

 This room was used for official audiences. 

The Jodannama room is where the lord was supposed to sit and its flooring is at a raised level. 

The Jodannoma room is also furnished with luxurious wooden furniture. The shelves and ornamental sliding doors are particularly spectacular.

The lattice design of the ceiling of the Jodannoma is also notable.  

Several rooms of the palace were accessible only to certain classes of society and people from lower ranks were forbidden to enter. 

A visit to the Honmaru Palace is a must to experience the grand lifestyle of the feudal period. 

Official Website: Click here

Address: Aichi Prefecture 460-0031, Nagoya, Naka Ku, Nagoya Jo Honmaru,1-1 

Entrance Fees: 500 yen (Castle Entrance fees only; Fees are not charged separately for Honmaru Palace)

Closed: Every Monday; Closed on Tuesdays when Monday is a Public Holiday.