Tourism Nijōjō's Honmaru-goten reopens after 17 years

Nijō-jō Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyōto, is reopening one of its main buildings, the Honmaru-goten Palace, to the public on 1 September. This comes after a closure of 17 years due to concerns about its earthquake resilience following damage from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. The city invested 1.56 billion JPY (USD9.89 million) since 2017 to reinforce the structure and restore its paintings, completing the renovation work in March this year. Notably, this will be the first time the palace has been open year-round; previously, it was accessible only twice a year. The Honmaru-Goten, originally built in 1626, was reconstructed in 1847 within the nearby Kyōto Imperial Palace before being relocated to its current site in 1894. Visitors can admire original Edo Period paintings by the Kano school and other renowned artists.

The interior of the palace features original Edo Period (1603-1867) paintings by the Kano school and other renowned artists. Visitors to the palace will be required to make advance reservations and pay a separate fee of 1,000 yen in addition to the regular castle entrance admission of 800 yen.

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Ticket sales will start online on 2 August:

The Honmaru-Goten Palace at Nijo-jo Castle, a World Heritage site in Kyoto, has reopened to the public for the first time in 18 years following the completion of earthquake-resistance reinforcement work. Initially built in 1603 at the dawn of the Tokugawa shogunate era, the current Honmaru Palace was relocated from Katsura-no-miya Palace near the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1894. It is a designated national important cultural asset.

The earthquake-resistance improvement project began in 2017 and was completed in March of this year. At the reopening, visitors were captivated by the gold leaf ornamentation adorning the interior of Goshoin, a building within the palace where important guests were traditionally received.

Visitors also raved about the more than 230 paintings decorated on the palace's walls and sliding partitions, which were painted by artists who gained prominence in Kyoto during the late Edo period. [...] Visitors are required to make bookings in advance on Nijo-jo Castle's website or other places to join a group tour of about 15 people to go inside the palace.

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