Kyoto and Nara Family Trip

1. Nijojo (Nijo Castle) (World Heritage List)

Nijo Castle was huge! It was built in 1603 by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) and served as his official audience hall, but he didn't spend much time there. The castle is known for its beautiful interiors and 'nightingale floors', which squeek when you walk on them - it was designed to warn of intruders. I guess it would have made doing any sneaky behaviour with the mistress difficult! We spent a good couple of hours around the Ninomaru palace (the main focus of the castle - where all the reception rooms are with the paintings and nightingale floors) and garden outside. A Path was set out around the castle so we wouldn't get lost, and inside, there were pre-recorded tapes to explain what the rooms were used for and how they were made (NB: explanations are in Japanese).

The interior was amazing - wooden carvings around the edge of the walls (of peacocks and i guess other flowers and animals, I couldn't see further into the room), elaborate paintings on the shoji (doors made out of paper) of cherry blossoms, trees and tigers, and gold trimmings all over the place. I don't even want to think about how much it would have cost to build the place!!

Inside some of the rooms were life-size dolls which helped you see how the rooms were used, and how people were positioned when visiting the shogun. It was interesting to try and imagine how people would have lived in the castle some 400 years ago. As with most other historical places, there was a big garden to walk around outside. The castle is surrounded by a moat, and there is also an inner moat that surrounds the Honmaru Castle (which holds the living quarters). We weren't able to see inside the Honmaru Castle, but in total it was a great place to visit!!

(mum and me at the entrance to nijojo)

(parents outside nijojo castle)

(dad and me at nijojo garden)

2. Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) (World Heritage List)

After visiting Nijo Castle, we went to see Kinkakuji ("Golden Pavilion"). IT was built by Shogun Yashimitsu (1358-1408) in 1398, originally as his retirement villa (pretty extravegant way to retire!) When he died it became a Zen temple in accordance with his will. The original Pavilion was destroyed by arson in 1950, but an exact replica was built. It's a pretty amazing sight to see - mum would say literally breath-taking. You walk through a path surrounded by trees, and then all of a sudden this golden structure is standing brightly in front of you. The top 2 stories are completely covered in golden leave, and it shines brightly in the sunlight.

When you walk around the lake, you get to see the Pavilion up close, and there is such a clear reflection of it in the water - it's really beautiful. The pavilion is also surrounded by a garden that you can walk through that is very peaceful. At the end you can stop and pray at the Zen Buddhist Temple - I bought a candle to burn at the front of the temple. I really liked Kinkakuji

(Kinkakuji)

(Kinkakuji from the side - dad and me)

(walking up the path in the garden)

3. Ryoanji (World Heritage List)

After a little rest for lunch we headed off to Ryoanji Temple. The main reason people go to visit the temple is to see the rock garden - a 25x10m Zen garden made only of 15 rocks and white gravel. Visitors are supposed to sit and meditate and figure out what the rocks signify to them. As soon as you step into the garden everyone becomes really quiet and you can't help but whisper. One of the rock collections looked like a crocodile and hippo in water with their noses poking out, staring at each other from opposite sides of an island. Another rock collection looked like a wambat coming out of its hole in the ground. I couldn't find anything with the other rocks - it was like trying to find shapes in clouds.

Outside, we walked through a tunnel of trees ( I bet it would be beautiful during autumn when the leaves start changing colour) to a pond garden. There were the most enormous irises I had ever seen in that pond - HUGE! It was a nice little relaxing stroll at the end of the day.

(Rock garden)

(Walking through the garden at ryoanji)