Nijo Jinya
Nijo, Kyoto
- Fri to Sun
- 10:00 to 11:00
- Mon to Thu
- Closed
Guided tours only, booked online. One tour at 10:00 for now, also on public holidays. The gate opens 30 minutes before.
Source: nijyojinya.net, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Nijo Jinya is a merchant's house just south of Nijo Castle, rebuilt between 1848 and 1854, where a rice dealer and money changer put up feudal lords and people waiting on the shogunate's courts nearby. It was built with an ambush in mind, so there's a lookout room hidden above the main hall, a staircase disguised as a tea-jar shelf and a door that locks from behind.
Insider tip
The Ogawa family still lives here, so you can only go in on their guided tour, in Japanese. For now there's one tour, at 10:00 on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, booked on the website's calendar about a month ahead (no phone bookings). If you don't speak Japanese you have to bring an interpreter. It's ¥1,000, cash on the day.
What's on near Nijo Jinya
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Nijo Jinya, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Shinsen-en Dainenbutsu Kyogen
神泉苑大念佛狂言
Time 13:00 to about 17:30 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
The local kyogen society, performing since 1903, puts on five or six silent masked plays a day to gongs, drums and flutes on the stage by Shinsen-en's pond, and the programme is chosen on the day. Tsuchigumo, where the spider throws its threads over the audience, is the favourite. Entry is by donation, the seats are outdoors and you can't take photos during the plays.
Jason Riedy, CC BY 2.0 Nijo Castle Cherry Blossom Festival
二条城桜まつり
Time 8:45 to 17:00 (last entry 16:00), light-up 18:00 to 22:00 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), right outside the station
About 300 cherry trees of 50 kinds flower in turn through the festival. By day there's a stamp rally and a fair of Kyoto products, and the evening light-up runs on its own ticket.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Nijo-jo Matsuri and Autumn Light-up
二条城まつり
Time Light-up 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00) Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
Nijo Castle's autumn festival, with a Kyoto specialty goods fair and other events by day, and an evening light-up and art show in the grounds. In 2026 the night ticket was ¥2,000 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,400 Friday to Sunday, separate from day entry, and free for junior high students and under.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Nijo Castle Autumn Light-up (NAKED meets Nijo-jo 2026)
二条城まつり2026 NAKED meets 二条城 2026
Time 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00) Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
For the 400th anniversary of the Kan'ei imperial visit, the castle's night light-up is an art show by NAKED built around Tokugawa Masako and Kan'ei-era design, with maples, ginkgo and cherry trees lit along the way. Tickets are ¥2,000 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,400 Friday to Sunday and on holidays (¥400 less if bought by 22 Oct), and children up to junior high school get in free.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Nearby
Around Nijo
The shogun's castle, with the Shinsengumi's Mibu a walk south
Most people come for Nijo Castle, and it's worth its two hours. Tokugawa Ieyasu built it in 1603, and its Ninomaru Palace is the only palace complex still standing inside a Japanese castle. Then walk south, past a pond garden first laid out in 794 and an 800 m covered shopping street, to the temple in Mibu where the Shinsengumi trained.
Nijo has 17 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 3 shops, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Nijo guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Nijo Jinya?
- 137 Sanbo Omiya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市中京区大宮通御池下る三坊大宮町137).
- What are the opening hours of Nijo Jinya?
- Fri to Sun 10:00 to 11:00; Closed Mon to Thu. Guided tours only, booked online. One tour at 10:00 for now, also on public holidays. The gate opens 30 minutes before.
- How do I get to Nijo Jinya?
- The nearest station is Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line). Nijo Jinya is in Nijo, Kyoto.
- How much does Nijo Jinya cost?
- Nijo Jinya is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Nijo Jinya?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Nijo Jinya?
- Friday to Sunday mornings.
Stay near Nijo Jinya
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