Kyoto: Nijō Castle
Most of the buildings we visited in Kyoto prohibited photography on the interior. So you'll have to take my word that the interiors were beautiful and varied. 
In Kyoto, our first stop was Nijō-jō(Nijō Castle). The original was constructed by the founders of the Tokugawa shogunate. 
(A party of school kids who had been instructed to practice their English by interviewing foreign visitors!)
The castle includes Ninomaru Palace. The most spectacular part of the palace exterior is the Kurumayose entrance.
The palace itself is a sequence of rooms of increasing intimacy and privileged access. 
Ninomaru gardens adjoining the palace were designed by Kobori Enshu (1579-1647). 
A second gate leads across an inner moat to the site of the inner palace, which burned down in 1750, and was replaced in 1893 by a residence moved from the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
On the edge is the Seiryu-en garden. It was constructed in 1965, as a facility for the reception of official guests of the city of Kyoto.
There is a museum which exhibits some of the originals of the scrren paintings-- a great benefit since sometimes they are positioned in the interior of the palace at too great a distance to see them clearly--but you still can't take pictures.