Golden Pavilion
December 24, 2017
Golden Pavilion
7:00 am | Day 5 | Kyoto
It
was our last day in Kyoto and we supposedly wanted to just rest and pack our things in
the morning before we head to Osaka later in the afternoon. But because the
weather that morning was perfect, we quickly decided to visit one last place in
Kyoto - a popular place called Kinkaku-ji or The Golden Pavilion.
Known
as the most beautiful ancient pavilion in Kyoto, Kinkakuji or the Golden
Pavilion is a former retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The villa is located north of Kyoto and it is meticulously covered
with golden leaves and surrounded with a pond that makes it picturesque. The
golden villa becomes more charming when it is well lit by the sun. Not to be confused,
Kinkakuji was built first and was the inspiration of Ginkakuji or the Silver
Pavilion.
From our guesthouse, Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, we headed to the nearest bus stop for Bus 205 which was just a few steps away. The bus ride was about 45 minutes and we paid using ICOCA Card. If you have no ICOCA card, you can still pay by cash for about 230 yen. We arrived at Kinkakujimichi Bus Stop and we walked further for about 5 minutes before we arrived at the complex gate. It was about 8 am then when we reached the place. Even though it was still closed, there was a long queue already at the ticket booth. Aside from foreign tourists like us, there were lots of kids in school uniform waiting in line - probably a school tour.
The
pavilion is the highlight of the vast complex which includes other smaller
shrines and shops. When we entered the complex, we first saw the Kinkakuji
radiating in golden color. There was a sense of calmness as we walked around
it. As we got closer, we were in awe of its intricate detail.
After
the pavilion, the passage led us to more shrines and shops uphill. We did not
spend much time there since we have a train to catch later in the afternoon. We
just hurried our trail and left. Though it was short, we were glad that we visited
the place. It was indeed beautiful!
From
Kinkakujimichi Bus Stop, we rode Bus 205 again and disembarked at Kiyomizu-Gojo
Station. Had our lunch in a local restaurant and went back to our guesthouse to
check out. We rode the train to Kyoto Station and waited for our departure to
Osaka by Shinkansen (Bullet Train).
We
gained lots of memorable experiences in Kyoto that are beyond our photographs.
Add to that, our new found friends and other tourists that we had exchanged thoughts
about the place. Even though it was cold when we got there, we felt the warm
reception and smiles from the locals and tourists as well. And yes, we loved
the warm and delicious foods.
Kyoto
blog will not end here… yet. The next entry will be our tips on how to go about
Kyoto if you ever want to visit this beautiful place.
Enjoy!
Time
Spent: 2 hour
Admission : 400 yen
Opening Time: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
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