How Nijo Castle tickets work

Why you need two tickets

The Honmaru Palace ticket covers the Honmaru Palace and nothing else. The castle says plainly that it doesn't include the castle admission fee, and that a separate castle admission ticket has to be bought. You can't reach the Honmaru without first coming through the castle gate, so in practice every Honmaru visitor needs both. People who arrive with only the Honmaru ticket find this out at the gate, which is not where you want to learn it.

The castle admission ticket we book comes paired with the Ninomaru Palace ticket. That's the palace with the nightingale floors and the Kano Tan'yu wall paintings, and very few people would come to Nijo without going inside it. So your full set is entry to the castle grounds, entry to the Ninomaru Palace, and a timed place at the Honmaru Palace, all for the same visitor.

The castle's own order of purchase is Honmaru first, then castle admission. That order tells you something useful: the Honmaru is the scarce part. Holding a castle admission ticket for a day when every Honmaru time has gone doesn't help you much, so the timed place is the thing to secure. Everything else about your day can be arranged around it.

What our fares cover

Each of our fares is for one visitor and covers two tickets in the same category: one timed Honmaru-goten Palace ticket, and one castle admission plus Ninomaru Palace ticket. We book them together on your behalf, so you don't have to juggle two separate purchases or worry that the categories on each ticket don't match up. It also means everyone in your party sits on one booking, with matching tickets for the same day.

There are three fares: Adult (general), Junior high and high school students, and Elementary school students. Children below elementary-school age don't need a fare at all, and there's more on that below. Choose one fare for each person, pick your date and Honmaru time, and we email your e-tickets once they're booked. Keep them on your phone and you're set for the gate.

We're an independent booking service, not the castle. We don't run the gates, set the rules or decide who gets in, and we can't conjure up a Honmaru time that has already sold out. What we do is handle the booking properly, with the right tickets in the right categories for the right date, so the paperwork is sorted before you leave your hotel.

When Honmaru places go on sale

Honmaru places have to be booked ahead. Web tickets go on sale 30 days before the visit date, and numbers are capped. The castle limits them to protect the paintings inside and because the corridors are narrow. About 15 people go in at a time, so on busy days the popular times don't last long once they're released. It's the one part of a Nijo visit you can't sort out on the day.

The Ticket Office by Higashi Ote-mon, the East Gate you come in through, doesn't sell Honmaru tickets. Turning up on the day and hoping for the best is a gamble, particularly at weekends and in the busiest seasons. If you already know your date, book as soon as your plans are firm and the date is inside the 30-day window.

There are no group rates for the Honmaru. A family of five needs five fares, and a larger group the same. With only about 15 people admitted at a time, a big party may not fit into a single time, so be ready to split across two neighbouring times or be flexible on when you go in. Fares are simply per person.

Reception hours and your timed slot

The castle lets visitors in from 8:45 to 16:00 and closes at 17:00. Honmaru reception runs from 9:30 to 16:00, and your Honmaru ticket carries a specific time. The Ninomaru Palace takes its last visitors at 16:10. If you choose a late Honmaru time, plan to see the Ninomaru first, because you may not have time for it afterwards. Morning times give you the most room.

The castle asks you to enter the grounds at least 20 minutes before your Honmaru time. That isn't padding. From Higashi Ote-mon to the Honmaru is about 850 metres on the shortest route, a walk of 15 to 20 minutes. Reception at the Honmaru entrance is in order of arrival, so you may still wait a little once you're there.

Late arrival may be refused, and if it is, there's no refund. Treat your Honmaru time like a train departure. If you're coming across town, allow for a crowded bus, a missed connection or a wrong turn, and aim to be through the gate comfortably before that 20-minute mark rather than right on it. Ten spare minutes at the gate costs you nothing.

Closed days: the third-Monday rule and Ninomaru Tuesdays

The whole castle closes from 29 to 31 December. Beyond that, the two palaces keep their own closing days, and they don't line up with each other. Check both against your dates before you book, because a day that works for one palace can be a closing day for the other. It takes a minute and saves a wasted trip across town.

The Honmaru Palace closes on the third Monday of every month and on the day after. If either day is a public holiday, the palace opens that day. It also closes from 26 to 28 December and from 1 to 3 January. Over the coming months that means 16 and 17 November 2026, 21 and 22 December 2026, and a winter break from 26 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 once you add the castle's own closure.

The Ninomaru Palace closes every Tuesday in January, July, August and December, plus 26 to 28 December and 1 to 3 January. If one of those Tuesdays is a public holiday, it opens that day and closes the next day instead. The grounds stay open on those days, but you won't get inside the Ninomaru, so pick another date if it matters to you.

One more date to note: the castle has announced shortened admission hours on Sunday 6 December 2026. If that day is on your list, check the hours nearer the time before you settle on a Honmaru time. Shorter hours could squeeze the time you have for both palaces, and admission times are exactly the kind of detail worth confirming close to your visit rather than months ahead.

Children and student fares

Nijo's fares follow Japanese school levels rather than strict ages. The Junior high and high school student fare is for pupils at those levels, usually aged about 12 to 18. The Elementary school student fare is for primary-age pupils, usually aged about 6 to 12. If your child is near a boundary, go by the school level they're at, not their birthday.

Children under elementary-school age go in free with you. The castle sells no ticket for that age, either for the Honmaru Palace or for castle admission, so there's nothing to book for them. They simply come in with the adult they're with. Just count them when you think about how many people you're bringing into a slot of about 15.

The castle doesn't publish a rule about checking proof of age or school level, but it does no harm for teenagers to carry a student card or passport. Little ones also have to follow the house rules in the Honmaru: shoes off, socks on, no touching the painted doors and no food. A quick word before you go in saves a lot of shushing later.

No changes, no refunds: plan before you pay

The castle doesn't allow changes, cancellations or refunds once Honmaru tickets have been bought. That rule applies to your booking too, so once we've booked your tickets, your date and Honmaru time are fixed. It's the single most important thing to understand about Nijo tickets, and the reason to take two minutes over your plans before paying. Better to be sure now than sorry at the gate.

Run through a quick check first. Is your date a Honmaru closing day, or a Ninomaru Tuesday in January, July, August or December? Can you be inside Higashi Ote-mon 20 minutes before your Honmaru time? Does that time leave room for the Ninomaru before its 16:10 last reception? Have you chosen the right fare for each person in your party?

If the castle itself closes or cancels on your booked date, contact us with your booking reference and we'll look into it with you. For anything on your side, such as a change of plans, a late train or a missed slot, the castle's no-change rule means the tickets can't be moved, which is why that pre-booking check is worth doing properly.

On the day: what to bring and expect

Bring your e-tickets on your phone, charged, and wear socks. Shoes come off in the Honmaru Palace and socks must be worn. Shoes and bags go into lockers inside the palace, and anything larger than 35 by 35 by 50 centimetres goes to the baggage room in the main rest area, so travel light if you can. A small day bag is easiest.

Inside the Honmaru there's a guidance video of about eight minutes, then you walk the route at your own pace. Allow about 40 minutes for viewing. There are no guided tours inside the Honmaru, so it's just you and the rooms. Photos and video aren't allowed inside either palace, and food and drink aren't allowed in the Honmaru. Outdoor photos are fine.

There's no re-entry once you leave the castle, so do everything in one visit. Food is only allowed in the main rest area, which has a café menu, coin lockers and a nursing and changing room. There are more coin lockers by the Ticket Office near the East Gate, handy if you want to drop a bag on the way in.