Kyoto: Part 2

Post two about Kyoto as promised!

Right in the middle of the city is Nijo Castle, ordered to be built by Tokugawa Ieyasu (see post about Nagoya Castle if you need a little history recap) as a fortress for the Imperial Palace situated nearby. The complex was completed in 1626 but as with many castles in Japan it has seen much destruction from both internal and foreign powers and is undergoing some reconstructions at the moment. Unfortunately the castle had just closed when we arrived so we only got a few shots from the outside. More details on Nijo Castle here.

The complex that I thought was even cooler than the castle was the Imperial Palace and adjacent grounds. The grounds more like are a public garden and walking path today and it was very peaceful to walk around. It's pretty cool to see normal people just going for in an afternoon stroll in what was once the royal quarters of the ruling family in Japan!

 

One more cool sight nearby is the Philospher's Path so named because Nishida Kitaro, a Professor of Philosophy at Kyoto University, is said to have walked through it on his way to class. Though the path is supposed to be very pretty during cherry blossom season it was still a very cool walk even in August. There are a few different temples along the way but the two we stopped to visit were Ginkakuji Temple (the Silver Pavillion) and Nanzenji Temple, coincidentally the temples at the two ends of the path.

The path:

Two modern day "philosophers" walking the path...

Ginkakuji Temple:

Nanzenji Temple:

And that's it for part 2 - more to come later!