Nijo-jo Castle

The Nijo-jo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has witnessed some of the most important events in Japanese history in the 400 years since it was built. It was completed in 1603 on orders of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the greatest of all shoguns and the model for James Clavell’s novel “Shogun”. Tokugawa Ieyasi unified Japan after a long period of civil war, and ushered in a period of over 250 years of civil peace and prosperity. The buildings of the Ninomaru-goten Palace, the Kara-mom Gate and the Ninomaru Garden are survivals from one of the golden ages of Japanese architecture and design, the Edo period, known for its ornate architecture and magnificent interiors. We enjoyed a special golden ice cream to commemorate our visit here today.Read more