[Kyoto] Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

Add: 1 Kinkakuji-chō, Kita-ku, Kyoto / 〒603-8361 京都市北区金閣寺町1
Tel: 075-461-0013
Hours: 9am-5pm
Price: ¥400/person
Website: www.shokoku-ji.or.jp
Visited: Nov 2010

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺 Temple of the Golden Pavilion), also known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺, Deer Garden Temple), is a Zen Buddhist temple and one of the 17 World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto. It was built as the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and is modeled according to the descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida. The most distinguishing structure in the temple complex, the Golden Pavilion, has the two floors completely covered with pure gold. Talk about lavishness.

Kinkaku-ji’s history dates to 1397, but the present Golden Pavilion (金閣) structure was rebuilt in 1955 and subsequently underwent various reconstructions. The top two stories of the pavilion emit a warm glow in the sun as they are completed covered with pure gold leaf. More mesmerizing yet, the Mirror Pond upon which the pavilion was built on produces a perfect reflection of the golden extravagance on a clear day. Absolutely beautiful.

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