Kinkakuji was built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu 600 years ago and later converted into a Zen monastary after his death. How a zen monk can focus on the meaning of nothing with a huge, gold foiled building sitting in front of him is beyond me.

I have lived in Kyoto for quite a while and have only this to say to travellers there, welcome and enjoy it. ...

Kinkakuji is oft portrayed in pictures of Japan, but it is the least representative temple there is. The golden color is too bright and the temple is relatively old, having been burnt to the ground by a young priest about 59 years ago. The only reason I go to Kinkakuji is for the garden. Note the large, leaning tree on the island in the lake, ...

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.

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.

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.
Don't even think of going there on a major Japanese holiday/ festifal sesaon which the ...

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.

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.

kinkakuji is beautiful. it's a golden impressive shrine. u can't enter it, it's located somehow in the middle of a small lake, and u can only see it from the side of the lake. it's actually shining and bright and for a moment u wont be able to take ur eyes from it.

i think this place's really worth the journey. probably only ...

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.