Next on our tourist hit list is the shimmering, glittering glory of The Temple of the Golden Pavillion.
This beautiful slice of golden glory is known as Kinkaku-ji meaning the “Temple of the Golden Pavilion” but it is officially named Rokuon-ji “Deer Garden Temple”
It is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto and is a glorious sight when the sunlight reflects off its gilded surfaces.
The present building dates from 1955, when it was rebuilt after the original was burnt to the ground.
It’s three stories high, approximately 12.5 meters in height and functions as a shariden, a building that houses important relics of the Buddha.
The use of lots of gold is important because of its underlying meaning.
The gold is used to mitigate and purify any pollution or negative thoughts and feelings towards death
The Pavilion is set in a beautiful garden which uses the idea of borrowing of scenery (“shakkei”)
Shakkei is a traditional East Asian garden design principle which incorporates background landscape into the composition of a garden.
The pavilion extends over Kyōko-chi, the Mirror Pond, that reflects the building giving you a double hit of its shiny wonderfulness.
The temple is a must see on the sightseeing itinerary, which means that it does get very busy with other temple baggers.
But if you like bling and if you like temples, then it’s definitely worth braving the hordes!