Kyoto: Nijo Castle History Walking Tour – World Heritage
ID: GYG1015529-1570274
Category:
Country: Japan
Duration:
01:30 hours
Description
This is the castle of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who established the 260-year-long era of the samurai. Learn its history and architecture as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Explore Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a local guide. Learn about the hidden tension between two of Japan’s most powerful institutions: the shogunate in Edo and the imperial court in Kyoto.
Meet your guide in front of Nijo Castle Main Gate and begin your tour. Walk through spaces designed not for defense, but for display, intimidation, and silent control — a physical manifestation of the shogun's strategy to dominate without war.
Learn why the Tokugawa shoguns, ruling from distant Edo (now Tokyo), constructed a lavish palace just steps from the Emperor's own residence — a symbolic show of dominance, asserting: "We rule, even here."
Walk through the Ninomaru Palace, where room size, floor levels, and ornamentation reflected strict social hierarchy. See the nightingale floors that chirp to expose intruders and observe the layered corridors and gates designed to psychologically overwhelm visitors.
Stand in the very room where, in 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned authority to the Emperor — a quiet act that ended over 260 years of shogunate rule and triggered the Meiji Restoration.
Highlights
- Tokugawa Shogun’s political base in Kyoto
- Garden admired by the Shogun
- Shogun vs. Emperor rivalry
- Chirping corridor for intruder detection
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Mobility: Mostly flat grounds; some indoor tatami areas may require removing shoes
Please meet outside Exit 1 of Nijōjō-mae Station.
There will be a guide holding a sign that says "Local Guide Stars"
INCLUDED
- Admission to Nijo Castle
- 1.5-hour guided tour
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 24 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 24 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.
