Kyoto Imperial Palace Area – Part 2【Tabi Yubi guide】

In this article we would like to introduce Kyoto Imperial Palace Area.

Kyoto Gosho 京都御所

The Palace is situated in a vast, verdant landscape of Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, which is full of some 50,000 trees and considered one of the most magnificent parks in Kyoto. The entire Palace grounds encompass a large area measuring approximately 700m east to west and 1,300m north to south, and included as many as 200 residences of court nobles during the Edo Period. The Palace can be accessed from four directions, through gates that include the Hamaguri Gate, which is well known as the stage of the Kinmon Rebellion that took place in 1864. Located in the center of the ancient capital of Kyoto, the spacious green grounds of the Palace play an important role as an urban oasis. While the Palace is not normally open to the public, the Imperial Household Agency offers guided tours by appointment.

Shimogamo Shrine 下鴨神社

The name of this shrine is derived from its downstream location on the River Kamo, along which towns developed. Kamo-mioya-jinja is the formal name of the shrine. The Honden (main halls) on the west and east sides are registered national treasures. Kamo Taketsuno-mikoto is enshrined in the West Honden and Tamayori-hime in the East Honden. There are in addition 31 pavilions, including Romon, Maiden, Shinpuku-den and Shikyaku Nakamon, that are registered as Important Cultural Properties. The shrine is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Nijo Castle, 0ld Imperial Villa 二条城

Nijo Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun, in 1603 as his Kyoto residence. In 1626, the third shogun, Iemitsu, added some buildings from Fushimi Castle. To see the Ninomaru Palace, a typical shoin-style building with more than 30,000 paintings, and the 16,800 m2 Honden main hall, surrounded by the inner moat and three gardens, all registered on the World Cultural Heritage List, is not something to be missed.

Kyoto International Manga Museum 京都国際マンガミュージアム

The Kyoto International Manga Museum has one of the world’s largest collections on manga. There are more than 300,000 books relating to manga going back to the Meiji era, as well as famous comic books from other countries. The walls inside the museum are lined with over 50,000 manga books.