世界が見たい [sekai ga mitai]: Spring in Japan: Nijo Castle

April 8, 2015
3rd day

Nijo Castle wasn't part of the itinerary. However, our guesthouse was just a few blocks away from it and passing by it the day before made me curious and want to explore what's inside. I didn't regret it! The temperature was still low at around 5C, I think, but I was ready and was feeling a lot warmer. Hehe. We checked out the Higurashi-sou guesthouse and left our bags before going out.

wouldn't mind a traffic jam if I'm surrounded with these pretty sakura trees. <3

I rented the english guide audio which was great. It came with a map that has numbers on it. If you're in a certain part of the castle, just press the number corresponding to the map and the audio will play and give you information on that specific part of the castle. That was really cool!

Like what I said in my previous post, I fell in love with Japan and I like reading anything about it's history and it's culture. I started watching Ryomaden (Japanese Drama) and this castle was a big part of the story (along with the Tenryuji temple we visited in Arashiyama among others). I love how I was able to visit this castle which played a big part in transforming Japan to what it is today. I was such a geek that day observing everything and taking in every little details that the audio was saying. Just awesome!

Just look at this beautifully decorated karamon gate. This is the entrance to Ninomaru Palace. There was also a lone plum blossom tree by the gate where I first fell in love with it. Sooooo pretyy! We took pictures before stepping inside the palace. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the palace. On the bright side, it allowed us to appreciate every details inside. The palace's windows were closed to protect the paintings inside the castle. One of the things I was looking forward to was to try stepping on the 'nightingale floors' of this castle which was known to prevent sneaky assassins from attacking. It squeaks like a bird when somebody walked on it. I remember it not really loud but for a quiet night, and for the trained ears of the samurais, I guess it was enough to alert them that an assassin is in the vicinity. My mom wasn't all that interested with it's history so she didn't bother borrowing my audio guide and just concentrated on admiring the decorations and paintings inside the palace.

We walked out the castle and went to one of the castle's garden, the Ninomaru garden. Passed by a cool wooden gate and just had to take pictures of it.

My mom seemed to be more intrigued and fascinated with a certain tree than the sakura. Lol. I was intrigued as well. It looked like a fat pine tree but the small brown erected thingy in it made me think otherwise. Well, I'm sure it's not a pine tree. Anyway, just look. (Photos grabbed from my mom's camera.hehe)

I, on the other hand, am torn between willow sakuras and plum blossoms. I love them both! There was a very beautiful pond in the garden with a plum blossom on the side and it was just so beautiful and peaceful! If only I can lay down a blanket underneath this lovely tree and enjoy a cup of matcha while taking in the beauty and serenity of the garden without all the other tourists, that would be just perfect. But even with a lot of other tourists, one can easily appreciate and won't be able to deny the beauty of this garden. I can't shake off the wonderful feeling that this beautiful, peaceful garden brings. I read that it was 'designated as a scenic spot in 1939 and in 1953, received designation as one of the nation’s special place of scenic beauty, reached its current preservation as one of the cultural heritage assets and a sightseeing locations'. And may I just say it was rightfully so.

Next, we crossed a bridge across the moat to reach Honmaru garden. Sad to say that the garden was caught in fire along with the Honmaru palace, which was closed for viewing (or atleast during our visit). We spotted some sakuras but the garden was mostly green and the wide spacious greenery was still something I was able to appreciate. Apparently, my mom also liked it and took pictures of it.

We weren't able to visit the Seiryu-en garden though, which is okay 'coz it gave me another reason to return. Hehe.Anyway, we walked through the Plum blossom grove and the Cherry blossom grove before heading out. I can only imagine how pretty a sight it is during the night illumination which happens during the sakura season. Another reason to come back then. Lol. Sooooo pretty!

It was past 1pm when we left and we were already starving. I thought we can find a restaurant around the castle, but we didn't and we ended up eating somewhere past the guesthouse. Another random resto which turned out to be good. I ordered katsu curry and my mom ordered omurice. It's fried rice with ketchup (most omurice has chicken though I'm not sure if hers has some) and I'm not sure if she liked it but I guess she was hungry enough not to complain. Though I tried it and it was good for my taste. My katsu curry was goooood as well. I loved how the portion was just enough for my appetite coz I sometimes feel bad not being able to finish the meal because the serving was really big.