Kyoto has many must sees – the Gion Geisha District, shrines, temples & beautiful gardens aplenty, the Fushimi Inari Taisha Sembon Torii (temple of 1,000 gates) and the bamboo forest amongst them.

A lot to cram into 3 days. With a couple of hours to fill before our Shinkansen train to Hiroshima, I hot-footed it alone to see the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji).

The temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. 

Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu’s former retirement complex.

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.

The Phoenix Risen From The Ashes

I arrived by bus at 8.15 and there was already a large queue ready for the 9 o’clock opening. Entry by cash was only 200 Yen and once open the queue disappeared really quickly.

Although fairly crowded, all visitors were respectful and largely quiet. I yomped through in 30-minutes and loved every second.