Just a few minutes’ spin of the bicycle wheel from our little place here in Kyoto stands a World Heritage Site, “a place of exceptional and universal value; a cultural heritage site worthy of preservation for the benefit of mankind”.
This astonishing city actually has 17 sites deemed this magnificent. Today I wanted to share Nijo Castle with you.
I cycle past it every time I go into town, sometimes early in the morning when the carp are gobbling at the surface of the moat, sometimes at night when the powerful and imposing white castle walls are cast with an eerie shadow.
Behind the massive stone defences is a beautiful park, immaculate Japanese gardens and a sea of curving rooves that take your breath away. Go early before the crowds come and you might even be able to imagine the swish of the swords and robes of the shoguns who lived and visited here 400 years ago, protecting the Imperial Palace and all those in it.
