Castle & Palace · Nijo

Nijo Castle 元離宮二条城

The Tokugawa shoguns' Kyoto residence, where nightingale floors chirp underfoot in the gilded Ninomaru Palace and the end of shogunate rule was announced in 1867.

Hours8:45-17:00 (last entry 16:00; Ninomaru Palace entry until 16:10)

Closed29-31 Dec; Ninomaru Palace closed Tuesdays in Jan, Jul, Aug, Dec and 26 Dec-3 Jan

PriceAdult (with Ninomaru Palace): ¥1,300
Junior high and high school: ¥400
Elementary: ¥300
Honmaru Palace (reservation): ¥1,000

Getting thereNijojo-mae Station (Tozai Line), 1 min

Time needed1.5-2 hours

Best timeOpening time; late March for cherry blossom

Address541 Nijojo-cho, Horikawa Nishi-iru, Nijo-dori, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto

Websitenijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp

About

Nijo-jo was built from 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu as his base in the imperial capital and expanded by his grandson Iemitsu for a visit by Emperor Go-Mizunoo in 1626. Its Ninomaru Palace is the finest surviving example of a samurai palace, a National Treasure of 33 rooms whose walls and sliding doors are covered with tigers, pines and hawks painted by the Kano school on gold leaf, a display of power meant to overawe visiting daimyo. The corridors have uguisubari "nightingale floors" that squeak to warn of intruders. In 1867 the 15th shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu announced the return of power to the emperor in the Ohiroma hall, ending 260 years of shogunate rule. The Ninomaru garden, Honmaru (inner citadel) with the foundations of the vanished keep and lookout, and the Seiryu-en garden surround it. Original paintings are preserved in the Ninomaru Palace Exhibition Hall, while replicas fill the palace. The Honmaru Palace interior is open by reservation.

Highlights

Ninomaru Palace, a National Treasure with Kano school gold-leaf paintings
Nightingale floors that chirp as you walk
Ohiroma, where the end of shogunate rule was proclaimed
Karamon gate with gilded carvings
Tenshukaku keep foundations with a view over the grounds

Tips

Admission includes the Ninomaru Palace; go straight there at 8:45 before tour groups.
The palace is closed on Tuesdays in January, July, August and December, and on 26 Dec-3 Jan.
Spring cherry and summer night events feature light-ups and projection mapping; tickets are separate.
Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai Line exits right at the east gate.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Nijo Castle 元離宮二条城

About

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