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Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto

4.4

#2 of 45,522 in Things to do in Japan

Religious Site Tourist Spot Must See

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With its top two stories completely coated in pure gold leaf, Kinkaku-ji gleams in the sunlight and reflects off the pond at its edge. This Zen Buddhist temple started as a villa for a powerful statesman in the 14th century, before its conversion to a temple by the family of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397. After a high-profile arson in 1950, the temple was rebuilt in its current form with ostentatious gold leaf coating to echo the extravagance of aristocratic culture in Yoshimitsu’s time. Look out for the different historical architectural styles represented by each floor of the temple. Plan to visit Kinkaku-ji and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Kyoto attractions using our Kyoto online holiday planner .

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Kinkaku-ji Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

15,595 reviews

Google

4.5

facebook

4.7

5,003 likes

• By siobhang552

  Very much enjoyed Kinkakuji Temple - it's like nothing else simply because of the striking golden exterior. The gardens here aren't as spectacular as others in Kyoto - but we did visit in winter. Only...  more »

• By James Q

  It's worth the trip. The temple is very pretty and the grounds are pristinely kept. But there were so many people it felt like feeding time at the zoo. Personally I think there are far better temples ...  more »

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Google

• By Ian Macdonald

  Really amazing to see this iconic gold temple in January with a very rare snowfall for Kyoto. The snowflakes and gold looked very cool. The only reason this doesn't get a 5 star is just that there are so many tourists and they run you through like cattle. It was very cold so we didn't want to stay long but on a warm summer day it would be nice to spend more time here.

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• By Christopher Chang

  This park is a pretty good place to visit. The temple itself and the surrounding water feature present an excellent view when conditions are right. The water produced a mirror like reflection on everything and can be a sight. However the garden sections are the star with gorgeous arrangements and plants. The entree fee is low at 400yen and not super busy. There are lots of random souvenir opportunities of you do so choose to partake.

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