Golden Pavilion or Shunkoin Temple Stay Which Is the Best in Kyoto

Price : ¥4,000 ($48) to ¥5,000 ($59) a night 

Address : 42 Myoshinji-Cho, Hanzono, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

Tel: 075 462 5488

Access from Kyoto Station: JR Sagano Line to Hanazono Station, then walk 8 minutes.

 

Kinkakuji is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. It is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. During your Kinkakuji Temple stay, you will get to see a lot of impressive sites.   

]What to See

The first floor is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings, and with its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls contrasts yet complements the gilded upper stories of the pavilion. Although it is not possible to enter the pavilion, the statues can be viewed from across the pond if you look closely, as the front windows of the first floor are usually kept open.

After viewing Kinkakuji from across the pond, visitors pass 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. The path once again passes by Kinkakuji from behind then leads through the temple's gardens which holds a few other spots of interest including Anmintaku Pond that is said to never dry up, and statues that people throw coins at for luck.