From the Ramen restaurant where we had our lunch, it's a short walk to Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion). The leaves were just beginning to turn red. Once the fall foliage is at its peak, which is roughly 2-3 weeks later, the view here will be stunning.
There is admission fee to enter Kinkaku-ji and once again, they only accept cash.
Kinkaku-ji is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf.
Kinkaku-ji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.
Kinkakuji was built to echo the extravagant Kitayama culture that developed in the wealthy aristocratic circles of Kyoto during Yoshimitsu's times. Each floor represents a different style of architecture. The first floor is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period while the second floor is built in the Bukke style used in samurai residences. Finally, the third and uppermost floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Hall capped with a golden phoenix.
After viewing Kinkakuji from across the pond, we passed by the head priest's former living quarters (hojo) which are known for their painted sliding doors (fusuma) but are not open to the public.
We then climbed up a little hill to visit the rest of the temple ground.
At one point, we saw a piled stone tomb of white snake (白蛇) in the middle of the calm lake.
Below is a view of the Golden Pavilion from the top of the hill.
We spent about 40 mins walking through Kinkaku-ji temple compound.
After we exited Kinkaku-ji, there were several shops along the street that sell all sorts of cute souvenirs which attracted Jerlene's attention.
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