Nijo castle, Kyoto...

We started our journey at 7.30 am after checking out our rooms near the Kyoto station. The Kyoto tower looks different in the day light.

We took a one day pass to travel in the kyoto city and started our way to Nijo castle via bus.

Nijo Castle.

 It was not allowed to take photographs inside the castle. The admission ticket worth 600 yens.

Entry ticket for the castle.

                After entering on the right there is a guard house with mannequins dressed as samurai guards. Following the wall around will bring you to the Kara Mon (Chinese Gate) which is the entrance into the Ninomaru Palace. Decorated by cranes, flowers, and butterflies on the outer panels and Chinese tigers,  lions and a dragon on the inner panels this gate is a splendid sight. 

At the entrance of Ninomaru Palace.

                  After walking through the Kara Mon we reached the main complex of Ninomaru Palace . The Carriage  Porch (Karuma Yose) is followed by the Tozamurai. It was in this building that visitors would wait for an audience  with the shogun. The next building is called Shikidai, followed by Ohiroma where several mannequins in traditional garb, sitting in on an audience with the shogun. The next building is connected to Ohiroma by a long chamber, Kuro-shoin, which was reserved for the friends and family of the shogun.  The last building, Shiro-shoin, was the shogun's residence, where only his wives and concubines were allowed.
                The shoin-zukuri style reflects the social heirarchy within the feudal period of Japan. The higher ranking and more distinguished a guest was, the further they got into the compound. Moreover, their position allowed them to be on a higher floor level. Each building has a slightly higher floor than the previous building, reflecting the social status of the guest. However, each building also had a raised platform on which the shogun would be seated during an audience so no one's head was higher than his.

              While entering in, beautiful sounds emanating from the floor can be heard.  This is called 'uguisu-bari' and was intended to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins. The builders constructed the floors of the corridors in such a way as to squeak like birds when anyone walks on them. When we enter the ninomaru palace, we could see the emotionally-moving wall and sliding door paintings which all are really amazing.It includes paintings of nature,  birds etc.
             The Ninomaru garden is one of the main attractions of this place which is really wonderful with waterlilies, plants, and rocks. In the center of the garden is a large pond containing three islands connected by four bridges.

The pond of the Ninomaru Garden.

It was really a wonderful site of new experiences in this castle.