In early June I went to Kyoto to show around a friend and to meet up with another friend. The friend I was showing around came over from Denmark and had never been to Japan. While his trip was short, we had to make a day-trip to Kyoto. One of the spots I took him too was the Golden Temple, or Kinkaku-ji which means Temple of the Golden Pavillion.
(I took this photo with my IPhone...pretty good right!)
We were able to beat the crowds (this is one of the most popular places in Kyoto) to walk comfortably around.
As I was getting closer, I realized the structure is not so large. It has the shimmer of gold, but the actual size is not as grand as I expected.
The site originates from 1397, but sadly this structure is not original.
This Temple was re-build in 1954 after a monk tried to burn himself alive in it. He survived, but the building didn't. I am happy to say that the building was re-built and that the gold you see is actually real gold leaf and not paint. Restoration happened again in 1984.
Now you can see why this temple is famous, and truly breathtaking.