Nijo Castle was built in 1603 as official Kyoto residence of first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. It is considered a “World Heritage Site.”We were fortunate to get an English guide. When we first arrived we were told that it would be 45 minutes to the next English tour. Ten minutes later a very knowledgeable English speaking guide came by and took just the three of us on our own private tour! It was pouring down rain so we didn’t really get a chance to tour the gardens. We toured the rooms that the Shogun would meet with his feudal lords, the waiting rooms for visitors, living quarters, etc. Most interesting were the “nightingale floors” that were made to squeak when walking on so they would know when someone would try to sneak up on the Shogun. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos inside. The rooms were laid out with the hallways around the exterior. The outer wall of the halls were sliding panels of wood lattice, with translucent rice paper coverings. This allowed for light access even when the panels were closed, or openness to the gardens when the weather permitted.
It is huge. Think of it as being like a Wal Mart super store site. It has about that much space under roof, but in many segments and a couple of separate building. The outside area is about the same (or larger) than the Wal Mart parking lot, but is courtyard and gardens.
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