Hello! It's Mo. It's been hot lately! It's so hot that I've been spending every day lazily watching dramas and anime in my room with the air conditioner on (lol). But a while ago, I had to go to Kyoto! I went to the former Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, for the first time! Nijo Castle was amazing, and I was really moved! I want everyone to go to Nijo Castle too! But I don't think this alone will motivate you to go to Nijo Castle, so from now on I'd like to carefully introduce the charms of Nijo Castle one by one!

 

【table of contents】

☆What is the former detached palace, Nijo Castle?

☆Highlights of Nijo Castle

☆Summer only! Nijo Castle illuminated!??

☆ I'm so happy to be able to do yoga in such a great location♡ "Nijo Castle Yoga"

☆ With your loved one at your favorite place ♡ "Nijo Castle Wedding"

 

☆What is the former detached palace, Nijo Castle?

In 1603, in the early Edo period, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu built this castle as a place to protect the Kyoto Imperial Palace where the Emperor lived (to guard the Emperor) and as a lodging facility when he went to Kyoto. The Shogun's trip to Kyoto was when the Shogun in Edo traveled to Kyoto, where the Imperial Court was located, to receive the Shogun's proclamation. The Shogun led a large army from Edo to Kyoto, and it was said to be a major event that showed the Shogun's authority and military might to the people. Nijo Castle is also famous historically as the place where Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori met, and where Yoshinobu, the 15th Tokugawa Shogun, succeeded to the Shogun position, but the important point to note is that it is the place where the Edo period began and ended! This is the place where the Imperial Rule was returned to the Emperor, and where the celebratory ceremony was held when Ieyasu was appointed Shogun. Nijo Castle, which still retains its shape after about 400 years, was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 as a cultural asset of the ancient capital of Kyoto.

 

☆Highlights of Nijo Castle

 

●The main attraction is the Karamon Gate

Boom!!! A magnificent gate, taller than the buildings on either side of it, stands magnificently gorgeous. This is the "Karamon" gate. As befitting a gate built to welcome the shogun, it features intricate carvings and gorgeous gold work. Thanks to preservation repairs carried out in 2013, including restoration of the roof using cypress bark called hiwadabuki, the installation of decorative metal fittings, repainting of the carved transoms, and repainting of the lacquer, the gate has been reborn as a gorgeous, colorful Karamon. In fact, the Karamon before the repairs had peeled paint and was not very impressive! Please come and see how beautifully it has been reborn♪

 

●Nijo Castle, one of the twelve surviving castle towers!

The inside of the Ninomaru Palace in Nijo Castle is very spacious! There are 33 rooms, covering about 800 tatami mats! Wow! How many times larger is it than a normal house? No, maybe even dozens of times (lol) And it's not just spacious! The sliding screen paintings by the Kano school, the transom carvings, the decorative metal fittings, and the ceiling decorations... I was overwhelmed by the gilded room. The Shogun stayed in a room like this... I, a commoner, could never imagine it... And how could one relax in such an intimidating place? The Shogun was amazing. I was at a level where I was completely deprived of words (lol)

 

The most prestigious rooms in Ninomaru Palace are the Ichi-no-Ma and Nino-Ma of the great hall. This is where the Meiji Restoration took place! If you look closely at the tatami mats, you will see that there is a slight difference in level. The upper room is called Ichi-no-Ma and is the space for the Shogun, while the lower room is called Nino-Ma, where the daimyo lined up. Ichi-no-Ma is a little wider than Nino-Ma. Even in places like this, you can see the hierarchical relationship (lol). And another thing not to be overlooked is the ceiling! Usually, ceilings have angular edges, right? But this ceiling is rounded on all four sides! It is called an "oriage gotenjo" (folded coffered ceiling), and it is said to be the most prestigious shape in Shoin architecture! Not only the walls, but the tatami mats and ceilings were also given great care!!!!!!

 

●You hear a sound when you walk?! A hallway made of uguisubari (nightingale-patterned flooring)!

When you walk through the corridors of Nijo Castle, you hear a sound that sounds like the song of a nightingale! This is a kind of alarm system, and is designed to immediately let you know if there is an intruder in the middle of the night!

Be sure to visit Nijo Castle and hear the sound for yourself!

 

☆Summer only! Nijo Castle illuminated!??

This beautiful Nijo Castle is actually lit up at night!

There are distance lanterns that allow you to take part in a wonderful light production while maintaining social distance, fragrant soap bubble lights, and kaleidoscope-themed fireworks by FIREEWORKS BY NAKED that bloom beautifully on the water surface! For those who find Kyoto too far away or are a bit worried about COVID, we recommend content that you can enjoy at home! For 880 yen (excluding shipping), you can enjoy content using VR goggles!! Be sure to check out the official website!

 

Nijo Castle x Naked Summer Special Illumination 2020

August 8th to August 30th, 2020

7:00pm to 9:20pm (last admission 10:00pm)

 

Click here for the official website of Nijo Castle x Naked Summer Special Illumination 2020

https://event.naked.works/nijojo-summer2020/lightup.php

 

☆ I'm so happy to be able to do yoga in such a great location♡ "Nijo Castle Yoga"

It's not just illuminations! You can also do yoga in the cherry blossom garden of Nijo Castle!

You can experience yoga while listening to the bass of special guest Totani Hajime! Yoga outdoors is great! It is limited to 100 people per day, so we recommend that you apply early!

 

Dates and times: September 27, 2020, October 4, 11, and 18

10:00am - 11:15am

 

Official site here

 

https://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/event/nijojoyoga/

 

☆ With your loved one at your favorite place ♡ "Nijo Castle Wedding"

It's not just yoga and light-ups! You can actually hold a wedding ceremony at Nijo Castle! You can hold a Japanese wedding ceremony at Seiryu-en Garden or Kountei, which are not open to the public! Since it's a rare opportunity, wouldn't it be wonderful to get married at a place you love with the person you love?

 

For details, please visit the official website.

https://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/guide/wedding/

 

At Kimono Rental VASARA, you can rent a kimono or yukata and walk around the city of Kyoto. The traditional and elegant buildings look great with yukata and kimono! If you're interested, please click on the URL below!

 

着物レンタルVASARA京都駅前店　https://vasara-h.co.jp/shop/detail.html?id=20