Nijō Castle
A flatland castle in central Kyoto built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, with two rings of walls and moats, the Ninomaru Palace and several gardens. The palace corridors have nightingale floors that chirp underfoot, a warning against intruders.
- Where
- Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 35.0142, 135.7475
Get the Nijō Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Nijō Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Kyoto volume with your photos and a note.
Near Nijō Castle
Kyoto Imperial Palace 1.8 km
The palace of the emperors of Japan from 1331 until 1869, when the court moved to Tokyo. It stands within the wide Kyoto Gyoen park in Kamigyō, and its grounds are open to the public, with tours of the buildings.
Nishiki Market 2.0 km
A narrow covered market street in downtown Kyoto, one block north of Shijō Street, crowded with small stalls and shops. It is where the city buys its pickles, tofu, fish and sweets, and is often called Kyoto's kitchen.
Ponto-chō 2.3 km
A narrow lantern-lit alley of teahouses and restaurants running beside the Kamo River, and one of Kyoto's geisha districts. In summer the restaurants on its river side build wooden platforms out over the water for dining.
Nishi Hongan-ji 2.5 km
The head temple of the Hongwanji-ha branch of Jōdo Shinshū, in Shimogyō near Kyoto Station. Its two great wooden halls, the Goeidō and the Amidadō, are among the largest in the city, and it is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Gion 2.8 km
Kyoto's best known geisha district, which grew up in front of Yasaka Shrine to serve travellers and pilgrims. In its lanes of wooden teahouses, especially along Hanamikōji, a geiko or maiko may pass on her way to an evening appointment.
Yasaka Shrine 3.1 km
A Shinto shrine at the east end of Shijō-dōri, once called Gion Shrine and the centre of the Gion faith. It is dedicated to Susanoo and his consort, and each July it hosts the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's most famous festivals.
Heian Shrine 3.2 km
A Shinto shrine in Sakyō, built in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto's founding. Its main buildings are a scaled-down copy of the old imperial palace, and a giant red torii stands over the road in front.
Kinkaku-ji 3.3 km
A Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose reliquary, the Golden Pavilion, has its top two floors coated in gold leaf. It sits on the edge of a still pond that doubles it in reflection, and the present building was rebuilt in 1955.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto
Questions
Where is Nijō Castle?
Nijō Castle is in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kyoto Imperial Palace (1.8 km), Nishiki Market (2.0 km), Ponto-chō (2.3 km).
How do I get the Nijō Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Nijō Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Kyoto volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Nijō Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Kyoto volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.