Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion

The golden temple reflected in a pond

This temple in Kyoto is covered in real gold — 20 kg of gold leaf! It stands by a pond and is reflected in the water, like two golden houses. 600 years ago a shogun (military ruler) built it as a place to rest. A golden phoenix sits on the roof. It's especially beautiful in snow — white and gold!

Kinkaku-ji (officially Rokuon-ji) is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, built in 1397 by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as a residence and turned into a temple after his death. Its 3 floors follow 3 architectural styles: the 1st is Heian palace style (shinden), the 2nd a samurai house (buke), the 3rd a Zen temple; the top two floors are coated in lacquer and gold leaf. The 'Mirror Pond' (Kyoko-chi), with 10 islets, is a model 'stroll garden'. In 1950 a mentally ill young monk burned it down — Yukio Mishima's novel 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion' tells the story; it was rebuilt in 1955 and re-gilded in 1987 with gold 5 times thicker. One of Japan's most-visited sites; UNESCO 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto' (1994). Kyoto was Japan's capital for 1,000 years and has 2,000 temples.

Fun facts

• The temple's 3 floors are in 3 styles: palace, samurai house and Zen temple.
• In 1950 a monk burned it down — it was rebuilt with gold 5 times thicker.
• Kyoto has 2,000 temples — one a day would take 5.5 years.