A young Japanese couple in traditional clothes

Nijo Castle and the Golden Pavilion

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February 24th 2009
Yesterday we walked to Nijo Castle, which was built in the 1600s. It's surrounded by little cherry blossom groves, which unfortunately haven't blossomed as much as they had in Osaka, but they're still trying. The main reason we went to the castle was for the nightingale floors - Tokugawa Ieyasu was quite paranoid about ninja assassins, so there were lots of hidden compartments for bodyguards and t ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kyoto » Kyoto

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more