Rokuon-ji / Kinkaku-ji Temple

Oui, c’est hyper beau, oui c’est vraiment à voir.
Le Golden Temple, on avait hâte d’y aller, on était tout pressés… Et quand on est arrivés, on a carrément été refroidis par la foule qui était déjà là.
Il y a vraiment trop trop de monde, et franchement, après avoir visité plusieurs sites après, oui, le temple d’or est superbe, il n’y a aucun doute la-​dessus, mais on a largement préféré Kyomizu ou le temple d’argent, qui sont des cites certes tout aussi bondés, mais le Kinkaku-​Ji est bien plus petit en surface visitable, du coup j’ai eu l’impression qu’on se marchait littéralement dessus tout le long de la visite.
A faire donc, bien évidemment, mais prévoir plutôt de le faire tôt le matin pour éviter une marée humaine.

One of my favorite stops while we were in Kyoto! The admission fee is 400 yen per person, which is incredibly cheap in my opinion and the experience is so worth it!
As soon as you approach the temple the staff will direct you to an alcove where you can take a picture of the temple from across the lake; it’s absolutely gorgeous to view such a beautiful structure by itself, let alone one painted in gold! While you can’t get into the temple itself, only walk around it, its definitely an experience to behold.
Even moreso, when you reach the end of the pathway (as it’ll take you through some mini shrines) make sure to stop at their store for some shaved ice. I cannot stress enough how worthwhile of an experience that is. While they don’t want you to leave the general vicinity with your snack (there is plenty of seating), the surrounding area is perfect to sit back and relax with your friends or family.
And the shaved ice — MAN. I never knew shaved ice could taste so good! I got the strawberry flavor and it was flavorful down to the last bite. I’ve had shaved ice before, but this was a true experience. Flavor was consistent throughout the whole slushy, the condensed milk complemented it perfectly without making it too sweet, and it was the best treat after walking in the sun all day. I highly recommend you getting one (or even two like some in my group did!)

Clairement c’est wouah mais que de monde ce qui gâche un peu la contemplation du lieu.
Après avoir payé l’entrée, on a très peu à marcher pour se retrouver en face du pavillon d’or qui se trouve au milieu d’une étendue d’eau.
On le mitraille sous tous les formes, malheureusement on né peut pas le visiter juste l’admirer.
Un incontournable à Kyoto!

RUKUON-​JI /​KINKAKU-​JI TEMPLE
Our seventh and last stop in Kyoto during our day of sightseeing. We got to the Kinkakuji Temple on Tuesday, April 12^th around 4:30pm.
Also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, this is the famous gold temple. There is a ¥400 per person entrance fee and it’s totally worth it to see the beautiful temple. How many temples are coated in gold?! Gorgeous when lit by the sun. I wish I could have gotten closer, but the best photo op is actually across the pond in the front. Since we went in the late afternoon, we got some pretty pictures from behind as you can really see the gold from that point of view.
Beautiful temple. Definitely a must see if in Kyoto.

Beautiful place with wonderful gardens and a stunning view of the golden palace. This place is a bit off the beaten path but yields extremely nice views and a quaint/​pleasant atmosphere. The palace itself is a bit smaller than expected but the ability to talk around and see it from all angles makes this place that much more appreciated. The grounds are also extremely well maintained and provide beautiful picturesque 360deg views. I have been here several times and will likely come back as there just is something beautiful about this place that just draws your attention.
Pros–
Views
Historical
Immaculate grounds
Nice walking paths
Very picturesque
Gorgeous during cherry blossoms
Cons–
A bit off the beaten path

Was visiting Kyoto and stopped by The Golden Pavilion which is a temple that was built in the 14^th Century originally as a villa for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the shogun at the time. This is a huge historical landmark in Kyoto and is definitely worth checking out. I think it cost $ 4 buck for admission which is cheap.
When i first got to this place i was shocked on how many tourist there were. I was like holy crap. This place gets packed. I was tough to get a good picture but i managed to get a few. The key is be aggressive.
There is another Temple called Ginkaku-​ji which is the made of Silver also built around the same time period. That one also is great to check out as well. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit that one. Dang it maybe next time.
Thanks for reading.
Matthew Y.

Needless to say, Kinkaku is the one of must things to see in Kyoto.
Well, it was completely worth it! I know I’m not a type of Japanese who is always a big fan of Japanese sightseeings but i have to admit it was just breathtaking, AMAZING !
It costs only 400 yen to walk around the park, so there is no way you don’t visit here if you are in Kyoto.
I know i cannot complain about crowds but it was just crazy amount of tourist here. Well, Kyoto attracts billions of people in the world!

efore it became Kinkaku-​ji Temple, a place for Zen Buddhists monks, this was the Golden Pavillon, a rest house to the Shogun. The place was created by the Shogun to brag about his rule since their was a change of government. The Golden Pavillon which has 100,000 sheets of 24 carat gold was a good sight.
There were other picturesque sceneries like falls, ponds, and lakes. Near the pavillon also stands a 650-​year-​old pine tree.
The Kinkaku-​ji Temple is one of the must-​see sites in Kyoto.

Simply a must see temple in Kyoto, Japan. Beautiful designed temple along with it gorgeous designed zen garden and the pond that encompasses the temple itself. You can’t go inside the golden temple but allowed to take pictures from all different angles. People were very nice there and helpful. There are alot of shrines and temples to see in Kyoto but this is a must. Very unreal background that’s simply a small heaven.
Outside with you are done there is green tea and black sesame seed icecream I’ll post the picture so you can see black icecream with superb taste.
Lots of tours there but on the overall there is one path when you enter then follow it towards the end finishing all the temple and the garden areas. Small waterfall on the way. Take alot of pictures won’t regret it.
One of the must see places!

Le pavillon d’or, de son vrai nom Kinkaku-​ji, est un peu la tête de gondole des sites touristiques de Kyōto et un passage obligé pour découvrir l’une des plus belles merveilles du Japon et du monde.
Il est difficile d’aller contredire cela, car ce pavillon recouvert de feuilles d’or est vraiment de toute beauté.
Transformé en temple Zen (Rokuon-​ji) à la mort de son propriétaire, il est pourtant impossible de le visiter. Il faut se contenter de le contempler de l’extérieur, ce qui est déjà éblouissant, notamment lorsque le ciel est bleu et que le Kinkaku-​ji se reflète dans le bassin qui l’entoure.
Depuis sa construction au 14ème siècle, la pavillon a brulé à nombreuses reprises, mais bien heureusement les japonais sont les champions de la reconstruction à l’identique et font toujours vivre leur patrimoine. A l’image du phénix qui trôné au sommet Kinkaku-​ji, ce superbe bâtiment renait toujours de ses cendres.
On regrette la légère pauvreté du jardin, loin d’être aussi beau que d’autres temples à Kyōto. On regrette aussi l’affluence dingue sur le site. Selon les périodes et les heures, il n’est pas toujours facile de profiter du lieu et de son caractère Zen.

Kinkakuji temple was one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen in the entire world — it just looked like something out of a painting. It was stunning. I was in total awe, and the surrounding gardens were also idyllic.
A top tip for tourists — if you don’t want sleep deprived, hungry and grumpy half-​Japanese ladies to scream and chase after you in near hysterics, it’s best to avoid dumping several unwanted receipts from your bag in front of something as beautiful as this. Some people are just unbelievable. Unfortunately the tourists in question sheepishly ran away, meaning I had to carry around other people’s trash for a while. I also shot daggers at the people in question, so I hope I ruined their tour by being totally insane. However, I still have no remorse about my behaviour that day. NO REGRETS.
Luckily, matcha tea and a traditional Japanese sweet was the perfect way to blow off all that pent up, trash-​related anger — it was really peaceful and tranquil in the shade.

The Kyoto money shot. Right here. You can come here, get your selfie stick out, and go to town trying to look as serene as the Golden Pavilion. In fact, there were so many selfie sticks when Jamie W. and I were here that it looked like a battle scene from «Braveheart» with very geeky spears. Admission is only ￥400 which comes with a lovely souvenir ticket (photo:
), but what a zoo it was to maneuver around the grounds and take a simple photo here. Busload after busload of tourists would keep crowding around the ever-​tightening shore of the reflecting pond to get this shot (photo:
). Sure, it was worth tripping the nun over the hedge to get it because the brilliant gold leaf shimmers even on an overcast day. She could pull herself up with her walker anyway.
However, the meditative nature of the sight was violated by the swarming masses. It was seriously like that scene in «The Poseidon Adventure» when the naysaying passengers desperately climb the upside-​down Christmas tree only to have it topple over since they didn’t have billing in the movie. The temple was built as a villa for a shogun in 1397, but a crazed monk set it on fire in 1950 like a scene from «The Walking Dead». It was rebuilt in 1955, and that’s why it looks as pristine as it does now. It’s also probably the reason nobody can walk close to it. The visit gets pretty anticlimactic from there as you walk up a hill and throw coins at various statues (photo:
), view a teahouse and then find yourself in the middle of shopping area where the Fudodo Shrine is (photo:
). Uh-​oh, here comes that nun. She looks mad.

Short and sweet — this entire visit takes about 15 minutes max. Pay for the small entrance fee and get herded along to see the golden temple from across the pond for some absolutely gorgeous views. However, you get to share with experience with a thousand other tourists elbowing and shoving you around. This was the only temple I visited in Japan where this happened, so it got old real fast.
After some photos, you can walk around half the grounds and see the temple from the back, but cannot go inside. Other than that, the grounds are very small and the tour is over quickly. Certainly it is worth it for a visit, but it is very far out of the way and requires a taxi. You don’t get to relax and enjoy the scenery like other shrines and temples in Kyoto.

Located in Kyoto, Japan, the «Temple of the Golden Pavilion», officially named Rokuon-​ji, is one of the most popular sites in Japan.
Upon entering the temple, visitors are told to put selfie sticks away, as they are dangerous and have caused injury on this old property. The day we visited, it was around 2pm, and very busy. We were told that many visitors congregate at this site around 3−4pm each afternoon because of the gorgeous start to sunset that hits the temple. It was uncomfortable to be near so many people in such small pathways. Photo opportunities were also scarce because of the sheer number of guests that were walking through the property.
The views are beautiful nonetheless. My friends and I really enjoyed the large tree, rumored to have been bonsais years and years ago, but became part of the landscape of Rokuon-​ji. The Golden Pavilion is a three-​story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-​ji temple complex. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. It is designated as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape, and it is one of 17 locations comprising the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.
There are several eateries in and out of this temple. I opted for a green tea ice cream cone sprinkled like gold leaf. Very nice tourist-​y snack. I would recommend this site for any visitor to Japan, but if you’re like me and dislike crowds, go earlier in the day to avoid all the amateur photographers!

The golden temple is actually more yellow than anything else.
Also, you can’t really see anything.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful. You walk in this beautiful garden area and get to see the temple from afar for a good pic and then closer for a better pic. But you can’t go inside and you don’t see anything really that you don’t see here.
I think I might have been a little sullied because it was raining and we had to walk outside in said rain. You pay, go in, walk the loop and come out.
But I did love the garden and the beautiful and enjoyed the scenery. But know what you’re getting into, a walk in the garden.

It’s all about the gold bling!
This was without doubt one of my favourite sites on my whole recent three week three country trip round Asia. If your looking for the wow factor this is the site for you.
Easy to get to from city centre by bus, this place is in the north of the city and it is worth the 20 min journey. Set in large grounds, there is quite a lot to walk round, but really it’s mainly all added fluff, what everyone is there to see is the gold temple. For me it looked amazing. Grabbing pictures of it was a highlight. You just sort of stand in amazement looking at the massive Level of gold bling on show and the amazing reflection on the water around it.
Without doubt a must see in Kyoto. Don’t leave the city without getting a look at it with your own eyes!

Charming to view the absolutely UTSUKUSHII places of Kyoto. Already, though only open about 10 minutes, there were lots of people milling about. though smaller in lot size than I had hoped, the perfectness of the golen temple nested in its pon and all of the surround environs an mountains in the background with slight grade within made it a super pleasant morning visit.
The rain had just subsided not even 12 hours earlier, and the sun peeked out, giving me lots of heat to contend with. Open at 9AM

This is one of the «must visit place» at Kyoto, golden shining pavilion which called «KIN-​KAKU».
KIN-​KAKU is main pavilion of this temple as you see «KIN-​KAKU-​JI» temple, but their official name is «Rokuon-​JI» temple, it means deers garden. You can get here very easy from Kyoto station by city bus system, I strongly recommend one day bus ticket.
You will find they also have very excellent garden and beautiful pond in front of the Golden pavilion. many people wish to take a photo. a lots and lots of people come to here but they managed by one way control walk around the route. It’s so nice system.
I missed to visit here when I was middle school boy, only just 15 years old during school travel for Kyoto, after that I could not get a chance to visit for long long time over 30 years.
Finally I visited here this week, I feel so nice now I’m 50 years old! But it was beautiful day, I enjoyed blue sky and golden shining «KIN-​KAKU-​JI»!

Another crowded and main tourist destination in Kyoto.
For first time visitors, this Shrine is impressive. If I wrote this review the first time I visited this place and have not discovered more amazing Shrine /​Temple this it’s definitely 5 stars.
After many years of boycotting this place I visited it again early June to give our guest a tour here. As always it was very crowded and can barely get a good picture.
Other than the main golden Shrine, nothing really much to see here. That’s all.
It’s still a great place to check out when visiting Kyoto.

Formally known as the «Deer Garden Temple» and more commonly known as «The Temple of the Golden Pavillion», named after the three-​story shariden (place that stores Buddhist relics) covered in gold leaf. Kinkaku-​ji, along with Ginkaku-​ji and Kiyomizu-​dera are the most visited Buddhist temples in all Kyoto. The No1DP and I can personally attest to this as we saw all the tourists flocking to the temple during the morning hours.
HISTORY: Previously the villa of Saionji Kintsune, it was purchased by the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to serve as his retirement villa as he abdicated from his position several years earlier. Upon his death per his son converted the villa into a Rinzai sect Buddhist temple, per his father’s request and named the complex Rokuon after Yoshimitsu’s Buddhist name. The golden pavilion became a source of inspiration for his grandson Yoshimasa when he created Ginkaku-​ji for his retirement villa.
The current presentation of Kinkaku-​ji is not the original building. It was burned down during the Onin Wars in the 15^th century and most recently by a monk in the 1950’s. The latest restoration effort took place in 1955, five years after the monk burned the temple. More gold leaf was applied in the 1980’s in hopes of preserving the structure.
HOURS: 9am-​5pm
ADMISSION: Adults (first year Japanese high school age and older) 400円, elementary and junior high students 300円.
In front of the main entrance you can pay some yen to pull a rope that’s used to ring a bell. No1DP and I found it to be a cute photo-​op.
The shariden is surrounded by the pond, Kyoko-​chi. The pond is the only remaining artifact from the ground’s original owner, Saionji Kintsune.
As for the shariden itself, it was built in the early Muromachi style (Kitayama), which focused on visual excesses. It is a three-​story structure with each story being built in a different architectural style.
— First floor (The Chamber of the Dharma Waters) was built in the shinden-​zukuri style, reminiscent of the palaces built during the Heian period (11^th century). Note the lack of golden lacquer on the structure.
— Second floor (Tower of Sound Waves) is built in the bukke style used for samurai residences during the time period. It houses a relic of the bodhisattva Kannon, not shown to the public.
— Third floor was built in the Chinese Zen temple style. On top of the roof there is a bronze phoenix covered in gold leaf.
As admirable as the shariden is from the outside, nobody is permitted to enter the structure. On a Saturday morning between 10−11am there were already flocks of tourists surrounding most sections of the pond that allow a good photo-​op spot for the temple. Some of these groups took their sweet time trying to create that perfect photo-​op and the No1DP and I just had to be patient until it was our turn. I also saw more than a handful of said tourists carrying around selfie sticks. Before this most recent Japan trip I suggested to the No1DP if I should bring a selfie stick for this particular purpose, but the No1DP would pay for an early return trip ticket should I bring a selfie stick to take pictures at a sacred site.
Towards the exit is a teahouse (Sekkatei Teahouse), simple in design and made of a special type of bamboo. Also towards the exit is Fudo Hall where you can pay your respects to the deity, Fudo-​Myo-​o. You can also purchase additional charms to be burned on your behalf or to take with you. According to the No1DP, whatever is written is between the writer and the deity. I purchased a charm and made my wish. More secular activities that line along the hall towards the exit are purchasing yatsuhashi, wagashi and tea from one of the surrounding booths. There is also a souvenir shop next to Fudo Hall to purchase official memorabilia for Kinkaku-​ji.
Kinkaku-​ji is a beautiful place and I’m glad that I was able to visit such an important site in Japanese history but the amount of tourists prevented me from fully taking in the peace I would get in visiting temples. I had more «at peace» moments in the subsequent temples Rokuon-​ji, Ginkaku-​ji and the grounds of Nanzen-​ji.

Magnifique! Et le parcours est lui aussi très agréable.
Bus, ligne 205, depuis la gare de Kyoto ou depuis Emmachi qui emmèné directement à 10 minutes du temple.

Gorgeous Buddhist temple in Kyoto. It’s a «must-​see» for almost all tourists that come here, including us. :)
It was very very crowded when we went to visit in early May 2015; all the students were there — as they were likely going on their ‘graduation trip’. You’ll need to squeeze through masses to get a photo of this scenic background.
Cross your fingers that the weather is nice for some fabulous photos!
More photos here:

Oh hey, you get to see the beautiful golden pavilion over the lake in person! I hope you will enjoy that moment, because what comes after goes completely downhill.
Kinkakuji, which translates to Golden Pavilion Temple, is notable for the golden pavilion that was built to mirror classic Japanese literature and house a Buddhist relic. The pavilion’s remarkable beauty made this temple one of Japan’s top attractions.
Sadly, the temple is much overrated. You will get to see the beautiful pavilion, but after that, you will be pushed and surrounded by a stream of loud tourists through a narrow passage that is essentially a small garden walk that slightly loops around the lake and directs you to the exit after allowing you to pay respect to the Japanese Buddhist deity, Fudo Mio. You will be forced to go from entrance to exit within an hour by the crowd.
Although for a good reason, no building but the restroom is accessible. I don’t think that’s necessarily bad, but it’s sad that you will not get any moment to truly admire the beauty that this temple potentially has. If you do manage to find a small alcove from the crowd to pause and admire, some tourists of certain nationality will almost always hover over you because they want your spot to take their precious selfies even if you are just standing next to a tree. For me, the whole experience there was chaotic and upsetting.
Kinkakuji is the classic example of a tourist tour. I love Buddhist temples, and I can ensure you that this temple is not worth the trip. The only things nice about this temple are the free paper charms that the staff give you for admission and the visit to Fudo, but otherwise, this is the worst hyped attraction in Kyoto.
If you must go though, do it in the early morning. Perhaps you will beat the massive tourist crowds and get some tranquility from this temple ground.

J’avoue né pas savoir quoi écrire de plus que vous né pourrez trouver dans les guides touristiques… Juste qu’on peut y accéder facilement à vélos et poursuivre ensuite la route sur les autres sites qui l’entourent.
C’est une des plus beaux temples de Kyoto et il vaut vraiment la peine de traverser la ville. Il y a souvent du monde mais en cette période de début d’année scolaire c’était plutôt calme et agréable.
Certes on n’est jamais seul ici pour profiter pleinement de toute la beauté du lieu, et le parcours un peu trop strict m’a laissé sur un mauvais sentiment. Pas d’espace pour se poser et admirer plus longtemps cette petite merveille. Mais c’est un peu le constat que l’on peut faire sur beaucoup de sites touristiques au Japon. Il y a tellement de monde que pour que ça reste agréable il faut que ce soit fluide.

My daughter and I came here on a Tuesday around 10:00a (operating hours 9:00a-5:00p daily). Since it was morning, it wasn’t too crowded yet (including the city bus). General admission for adults (high school and up) was 400y and elementary/​junior high students 300y.
All I can say is WOW. It was just as picturesque as seen in magazines, brochures, postcards, etc. The landscape with the pond, trees, koi fish, and such were perfectly balanced and beautifully planned. I could have sat here for hours just staring at it (but my girl wasn’t as awed as I was so had to move on).
Unfortunately, this temple as well as the former living quarters were not open to the public, so our visit here only lasted about an hour (1.5 hours top including browsing through the vendors and eating soft serve). Worth it nonetheless.

Sans conteste un des must à Kyoto!
Le temple d’or est juste magnifique, on n’a pas eu de chance, le temps était gris, mais même sans soleil, le temple illumine avec ses murs d’or le jardin.
Le jardin est moins joli que celui du temple d’argent, il est surtout plus petit!
Il faut compter 300¥ pour visiter les lieux, il vaut mieux y aller tôt à l’ouverture, sinon vous serez envahis par les bus remplis de touristes chinois, l’horreur!

Patrimonio de la Humanidad y quemado por un monje una madrugada en 1950, este lugar lo tiene todo para atraer turistas. Hoy restaurado con gran esplendor, el Rukuon-​ji, más conocido como Pabellón de Oro por razones obvias, abre sus puertas cada día a muchos turistas atraídos por su brillo como polillas a la luz.
El recinto y el jardín de estilo Muromachi son dignos de la fama que ostentan, he de decir, pero tanta gente amortigua el impacto que se supone tiene que crear. El mito relatado por Mishima en la novela que lleva el nombre de este templo es en lo único que puedo pensar al ver este edificio y su reflejo en el estanque que lo rodea. La naturaleza seleccionada acompaña al templete dorado y es un espectáculo en cualquier época del año.
Rodeando el recinto como si estuvieras saliendo del metro, no es posible disfrutar demasiado. Además, dada la ingente cantidad de visitantes, estos son los únicos baños sucios que vimos en Japón.