Nijo Castle

This is the front gate to Nijo castle. Nijo castle is located pretty much in the center of Kyoto. It's really hard to capture just how massive the castle is but from the pictures you can see how tall the average asian person is in comparison.

Left side of the castle

The castle is a series of gates which eventually lead to an inner keep.

Floor plans I stole from wiki

What is really interesting about this castle is the amount of detail and planning it took to construct. In building 4, the floors are intentionally designed to squeak as a method to alert anyone of intruders. Any assassin attempting to navigate the floor would be heard long before they reached their target. The really neat thing about this is that the floors are designed to squeak within a certain pitch, making the floor boards sound like nightingales. In an attempt to prove my untapped ninja skills I tried my best to move without making any noises but failed miserably.

Building 4, one the of central keeps

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a video of this because photography is prohibited inside to protect the art which adorns the walls and ceilings of the keep. With so many people inside pressing upon the floor boards, the hallways sound as if you are walking through an aviary. Medieval Japanese art can be found on any of the paper walls and all of it is rather impressive. You can buy smaller prints of the art at the souvenir shop at the end of the tour. If you are into history, this is definitely one of the places you should see if you are in Kyoto as you will not be dissappointed.

Walls of the inner keep

View from the tower