Nijo Castle and Yasaka Shrine

 

Entrance to the Nijo castle.

February 11, 2026

We went on our first excursion for the Japanese history class yesterday and walked to the Nijo castle. When we were here nine years ago, we toured it during a special evening showing. It was so crowded we couldn't hear the noise the "Nightingale" floors made inside. This time there were not many people visiting and thefloors were noisy! They sound like a chirping bird and were constructed to serve as an early warning system that someone was coming.

The grounds are lovely in the winter.

No photos are allowed inside the castle. It is a significant site because is is the location for both the beginning (in 1603) and the end (in 1867) of the Tokugawa Shogunate. There were beautiful painted screens in the rooms, tatami floors and brightly colored ceilings.

Emily, Mary and I

Mary joined us in Japan and is teaching the Japanese History course. She taught on Pacrim two years ago when she taught a class in Japan and Taiwan.

We had some tempura for dinner. We are staying in an area with lots of small restaurants.

We had lunch today with a former Pacrim director.

David led the group back when it was a full-year program. He took 34 students in 1991-1992. He told us some pretty amazing stories. He was able to take the group to Vietnam. They were the first American college students to go to Vietnam after the Vietnam War. And he had plans to take the group to North Korea. He showed us the paperwork he had saved that approved their visas, but a last minute phone call from the North Korean representatives in the US put a stop to their hopes of traveling there.

After lunch we met the students at the Yasaka Shrine. David gave his explanation of what to look for as we entered the shrine. He also pointed out how syncretic Shintoism and Buddhism is here in Japan. Once again, photos were not allowed to be taken of the shrine. He told us to look for the big rope that holds a bell at the entrance. The shrine is dedicated to a god that protects against plagues and misfortunes. Worshippers would pull on the rope to ring the bell and wake up the god. Ironically, during the Covid pandemic, they stopped people from ringing the bell because of potential contamination!

On the steps before we entered, there was a large group of tourists wearing the rented kimonos that are so popular.

A sign that spring is coming!

After the shrine, we walked to the Nishiki Market and I found the fabric store I visited the last time we were here. 

Since I bought so much fabric in India, I decided to buy materials for a small sashiko project that is easier to pack.

We walked through the food market. Today is a national holiday in Japan. It is National Foundation Day commemorating accession of the first emperor in 660 BCE, so it was a bit crowded.