Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion) is one of Japan's most celebrated and photographed monuments, a three-story Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto whose top two floors are entirely covered in gold leaf. The pavilion rises from the edge of a tranquil reflecting pond, creating a shimmering golden reflection that has captivated visitors for six centuries. The current building is a 1955 reconstruction of the original destroyed by a disturbed monk in 1950, an incident that inspired Mishima's novel 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.'

• Categoryreligious
• Opening HoursMonday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM