Kinkakuji
The golden temple
Back to Kinkakuji
Kinkakuji is probably Kyoto's most famous and certainly most photographed temple garden. The three-story Chinese Zen-influenced Golden Pavilion has delicately curving roofs and the walls and eaves of the second and third stories are covered with fine gold leaf. On a clear day the villa is reflected in the mirror pond which lies in front of the building. The present structure, dating back to 1955, is a copy of the original built in 1397 by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was razed to the ground...
Reviewed by: Sou from on Jul 22 2008
I've been to Kyoto before and have seen Kinkakuji before. However, it made my list of must see this time around again. It's a beautiful pavilion. You can look at it for hours.
Reviewed by: Steph from on Apr 23 2007
As with most of the Temples in Kyoto, the peace and serenity is intoxicating. We visited during the Fall foliage. It was magnificent!!! Looking forward to our next trip there. Probably in the Spring for Cherry Blossoms.
Reviewed by: KarenF from on Apr 15 2007
Yes, it's overrun by tourists - on my last visit a tour bus dumped a truckload of Japanese high school kids on their graduation trip - but there is a reason why it's so popular.
Reviewed by: Peech from on Dec 23 2006
The temple and landscape in front of it, together with the reflection in the water forms a very beautiful picture. There's quite a bit of shady place around. 300yen entrance fee isn't high.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Dec 21 2006
I thought the place was quite nice, but there were so many people it was alittle hard to enjoy. I'm sure some days are better than others to visit on though. Also through out the grounds there were little doodad shops which kinda detracted from the scene.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Sep 23 2006
I had seen so many photos of Kinkakuji, that I was a little disappointed because it was much smaller than I had imagined. But still beautiful and the surrounding gardens were also nice for a stroll.
Reviewed by: tchu_yhoo from on Sep 21 2006
I completely enjoyed the peaceful calm surrounding Kinkakuji. Warm purple Iris surrounded the pond around the Golden Pavillion. I enjoyed a nice stroll along the peaceful walking trails around the pond.
Reviewed by: Laurie from on May 31 2006
Honestly, I'm not a very good photographer but all my photos from Kinkakuji turned out like postcards! The temple itself if NOT what you want to see. We are all there for the golden pavilion which sits quitely in the middle of temple complex lake.
Reviewed by: Jello from on Apr 24 2006
Probably the most famous place in Kyoto, it is worth going to have a look, but I recommend going in Autumn when the leaves are at their most glorious. Despite being overexposed, this temple is still very beautiful.
Reviewed by: Kris from on Sep 08 2005
The golden temple
Back to Kinkakuji
Kinkakuji is probably Kyoto's most famous and certainly most photographed temple garden. The three-story Chinese Zen-influenced Golden Pavilion has delicately curving roofs and the walls and eaves of the second and third stories are covered with fine gold leaf. On a clear day the villa is reflected in the mirror pond which lies in front of the building. The present structure, dating back to 1955, is a copy of the original built in 1397 by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was razed to the ground...
Reviewed by: Sou from on Jul 22 2008
I've been to Kyoto before and have seen Kinkakuji before. However, it made my list of must see this time around again. It's a beautiful pavilion. You can look at it for hours.
Reviewed by: Steph from on Apr 23 2007
As with most of the Temples in Kyoto, the peace and serenity is intoxicating. We visited during the Fall foliage. It was magnificent!!! Looking forward to our next trip there. Probably in the Spring for Cherry Blossoms.
Reviewed by: KarenF from on Apr 15 2007
Yes, it's overrun by tourists - on my last visit a tour bus dumped a truckload of Japanese high school kids on their graduation trip - but there is a reason why it's so popular.
Reviewed by: Peech from on Dec 23 2006
The temple and landscape in front of it, together with the reflection in the water forms a very beautiful picture. There's quite a bit of shady place around. 300yen entrance fee isn't high.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Dec 21 2006
I thought the place was quite nice, but there were so many people it was alittle hard to enjoy. I'm sure some days are better than others to visit on though. Also through out the grounds there were little doodad shops which kinda detracted from the scene.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Sep 23 2006
I had seen so many photos of Kinkakuji, that I was a little disappointed because it was much smaller than I had imagined. But still beautiful and the surrounding gardens were also nice for a stroll.
Reviewed by: tchu_yhoo from on Sep 21 2006
I completely enjoyed the peaceful calm surrounding Kinkakuji. Warm purple Iris surrounded the pond around the Golden Pavillion. I enjoyed a nice stroll along the peaceful walking trails around the pond.
Reviewed by: Laurie from on May 31 2006
Honestly, I'm not a very good photographer but all my photos from Kinkakuji turned out like postcards! The temple itself if NOT what you want to see. We are all there for the golden pavilion which sits quitely in the middle of temple complex lake.
Reviewed by: Jello from on Apr 24 2006
Probably the most famous place in Kyoto, it is worth going to have a look, but I recommend going in Autumn when the leaves are at their most glorious. Despite being overexposed, this temple is still very beautiful.
Reviewed by: Kris from on Sep 08 2005
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