To Recap: In May, 2012 I went to Asia on the “Three-Countries-Three-Weeks-Three-Kids” tour. The first stop on this once-in-a-lifetime trip was Shanghai, followed by several days in Seoul. Now I was footloose and fancy-free (i.e., lost a lot) in Kyoto, Japan. I found one of the most beautiful and interesting places I’ve ever seen — just search for “Kyoto (Part Two)” through “Kyoto (Part Nine)“. (Yeah, that’s a lot of pictures of one place.) The next day my daughter didn’t have classes so she started showing me the other sights of Kyoto, including beautiful and ancient temples along the Philosopher’s Path.
As you might have noticed, I thought thought that the Fushimi Inari shrine was incredibly wonderful. If you only get two days to go sightseeing in Kyoto, spend one day there, then split the other day between this site and the next one I’ll show you.
Kinkaku-Ji Temple is yet another World Cultural Heritage Site in Kyoto. It was built around 1200 and turned into a Zen temple in 1422. After a period of decline, it was restored in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries.
To say that it’s visually stunning is a major understatement.
With or without the artistic lake and immaculately tended trees and islands framing it.
As you walk around the lake, on the back side you get a closer look.
There are waterfalls coming down the hill next to the path. (It was a warm day, but there was no swimming allowed – obviously.)
The Golden Temple is not the only attraction on the site. There are multiple gardens, shrines, and temples.
The advantage to having a second camera with a big lens is that you can clearly see some of the intricate and elegant gilt work way over your head.
These wood carvings of birds were incredible.
Various buildings are in various stages of upkeep and refurbishing – with a site like this, it’s got to be a never ending task. Here you can see all of the detail on a roof peak that’s a bit faded and worn…
…and here you can see a very similar roof peak that’s been more recently restored.
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 