Can i visit Nijo Jinya

I am a non-Japanese speaker. If I turn up for the guided tour at Nijo Jinya without a translator, will I still be allowed on the tour?

The owner asks visitors to
1) make an advance reservation
2) bring a Japanese speaker

Please respect the owner's rules.

More details:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3926.html

You may want to try to get a volunteer guide, such as:
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~kyotosgg/

Yes, those are the rules, but I think the rules exist only because the non-Japanese speaker would not understand the tour. I am sure that the poster could go, provided arrangements could be made in Japanese, but it would be much better if you could find a Japanese speaker to come with you.

We will be staying at the ANA Hotel across from the Nijo Castle with Japanese friends. Is it worthwhile to also visit Nijo Jinya since we will be right there and have Japanese speakers with us?

I would not rate it as an absolute top attraction. But if you have three or more days in Kyoto, I would consider a visit.

I am a Japanese person. I went to Nijo jinya this summer. and there was a non-japanese person in the tour without translater. he seemed to understand japanese well, but I personally recommend you bring a japanese translater to fully understand what the guide says. for the guide tells you details of the structure of the house and kind of tree they use, and some history words of Edo period, so some words can be difficult for a non-japanese person even if she/he understands japanese. if you cannot understand what the guide says, it is not fun at all!

that being said...
Nijo Jinya was amazing... my friend (non-japanese) said it was the best of all the places we went in Japan!

enjoy!

It has been about ten years since I went, but if you go alone without an appointment and no translator you may not get in. Children younger than high school age are not allowed.

I have a different perspective. We went to Nijo Jin'ya in May. You do indeed need a Japanese speaker to take the tour. My wife is Japanese, so no problem. However, on a practical level, it doesn't matter - there is no time allotted for translation. We were told that to leave time for translation would delay the next group, and simultaneous translation disturbs the other visitors. Also, there is a great written guide in perfect English available, but it was not offered for purchase until AFTER tour! Quite frustrating. That said, it's a fascinating place. Withal, well worth going to see. Just ask for the guide BEFORE the tour, if they have any - there didn't seem to be too many copies available, and I don't know if they always offer them. Oh yes, our 12 y/o grand daughter was with us and there were no questions raised about her age.

based on my experience travelling around Japan ( I don't speak Japanese) and also on the experience of my partner when visiting French castles for example (he doesn't speak French) a visit can be very rewarding IF one take the time beforehand to learn about a place 's history, architecture etc.
The internet is a very good tool for that.
By the way just because one is a native speaker isn't necessarily a plus. In my birth country for example I have met people that didn't enjoy visiting historical places in the area where they lived as they weren't familiar at all with our own country history and didn't understand architectural and/ or artistic terms etc.

http://nijyojinya.net/English.html

The owner does mention some guides that they recommend, in ENglish.