Kyoto is a city full of historic temples, but it also has several imperial and shogunate castles right in the middle of town. The most well-known one is Nijo Castle, which served as the shogun’s residence after it was built in 1603, and then became an imperial castle after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1867. Nijo Castle is also one of Kyoto’s 17 collective UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

As a flatland castle that was a residence and not a stronghold, it’s not as imposing as some other Japanese castles but the complex is surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. The castle’s main building, the Ninomaru Palace, is where the shogun actually resided. It features attractive dark-brown roofs and a series of rooms connected by corridors. The building’s most famous feature is the corridors’ squeaking “nightingale” floor which makes noises as you walk on it. This was to detect any assassins who sneaked into the castle.

There is another set of buildings, the Honmaru, where an imperial residence was set up in 1867. Unlike the Ninomaru, visitors can only admire the Honmaru from outside.
On the grounds is a nice landscaped garden and you can go up onto the castle walls to view the entire complex.

How to get there: Nijo Castle is right next to the Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai subway line.

Ninomaru

Honmaru