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Historic sites

Nijō Castle, Kyoto

Japan Kyōto Kyoto

Nijō Castle, Kyoto
Photo: Hano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867. The Ninomaru Palace is famous for its 'nightingale floors', which squeak like birds when walked on, to warn of intruders, and for its sliding doors painted with tigers, pines and cranes on gold leaf. The castle grounds have moats, stone walls and gardens, beautiful in cherry-blossom season.


It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go early to avoid the tour groups. Kyoto was Japan's capital and the emperor's home until 1868, and it has hundreds of temples and shrines; buses and the subway make it easy to get around.

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