Nijo-jo was built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence
of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu. The construction of
this castle was to add prestige to Ieyasu and at the same
time intended to signal the demise of the emperor’s
power. Ieyasu had the flooring of the castle fitted with nightingale
floor panels that make a noticeable sound no matter how softly
you tread. Around the castle are impressive gardens which
are nicely accented with sakura trees. Its interesting to
note that all I had to do was ride my bike for 30min from
the dorm.
