Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto, Japan Travel Guide | Is it Worth The Visit?

Good morning, everybody. We are here in a very busy morning, about 10 a.m., only an hour after it opens, at Kinkaku-ji Temple, or the Golden Pavilion. Kinkaku-ji is located in a beautiful area tucked away from most of Kyoto's other famous attractions. There are two mountains behind it, Kinugasa-yama and Hidari-daimonji-yama. You guys have no idea how many takes it took me to say those two mountains correctly. Here in the northwestern sort of part of Kyoto, it's a little bit far away from the most touristy areas, but it's really famous. A lot of people come here, and it is a busy day. You must first pass through the main gate, named Somon, before entering this beautiful temple and its surrounding grounds. Now, the Golden Pavilion itself is a thing of pure beauty. It's actually a three-storied pagoda sort of structure, with the second and third stories and floors being covered entirely in shining, shimmering, brilliant gold leaf. The roof itself is constructed from the elegant and thin sawara cypress tree, and you might notice it is topped with a phoenix that is brilliant in gold, which actually symbolizes future prosperity and success in Chinese culture, which we'll talk about more why that's interesting later. So the first floor of the pagoda structure is named Hosui-in, which is actually built in the Heian palatial style, specifically called Shinden-zukuri, which, as you may have guessed, was popular during the Heian period, which took place from about 794 to 1185 AD. The second floor, named Cho-on-do, was built in the samurai house style, which is actually named Buke-zukuri, which was famous during the Kamakura period, which took place from about 1192 to 1333 AD. The third floor, Kukyo-cho, is actually built in the style and resembling Chinese temples, which is probably why they put that little phoenix on the top. It is said that these three different styles on the three different floors is a beautiful blend and harmonious temple, exemplifying and showing these different styles of architecture throughout these different periods of time in different cultures that heavily influenced Japanese architecture. But as a simpleton I am, all I know is that it looks really freaking beautiful and really cool to look at for an extended period of time, especially with the sun shining off of it on a beautiful, brilliant, sunny day. It's still worth it, though, to see the beautiful site and add it to a list of amazing things you've done and seen in Kyoto. So I'll have to talk to you guys at a quieter place. Besides the temple itself, there's a nice scenic pond located right in front of it called Kyoko-chi, which actually has many different little things such as islands, rock formations, and of course, the wonderful reflection of the beautiful Kinkaku-ji temple. There is also the surrounding Rokuon-ji garden and sort of temple grounds that you can walk through. It makes for a nice scenic walk, maybe not quite as quiet and relaxing because you'll definitely have a lot of company coming along with you for the journey. But of course, there are many other little hidden gems and points of interest along the way while exploring Kinkaku-ji grounds. If you want to learn more, I recommend you going to this website because that's actually where I learned a lot of the background information I have now, plus other stuff if you are really eager and interested to know more. I'm figuring you're just wanting to see this beautiful golden temple and not just be like, wow, that's really pretty, but maybe have another level of understanding with some important background information and context that you might not be able to get unless you do a guided tour. And that's not everyone's cup of tea. So here, do your research now and then enjoy it while exploring on your own. So that was Kinkaku-ji temple. Don't confuse it with Ginkaku-ji, that's silver. This is the gold pavilion. Now, again, come here as early as humanly possible. I would recommend getting here even a little bit before it opens so you can be like the first person here to avoid the crowds, the craziness, the hecticness. If you want to come to a temple in Kyoto, in Japan, that feel that zen, that inner peace, that connection with nature and sort of architecture, this is not the place for you. It's a really top site, a really beautiful place to see. But if this is like your only temple you're planning, I wouldn't recommend coming here. There are some other ones that are more low-key. Some of the beauty in Kyoto with the temples is just by walking around and finding a place to get almost to yourself with no one there. Some beautiful historic places where you can hear the nature and not just feel like you're being rushed around like cattle or whatever else may have you. So that's Kinkaku-ji, everybody. Is it worth coming to? Yes. Do I think it's worth coming to many more times? Probably not. Just come here once and see the beautiful site. Take it in, try and get some sights away from people if you can, and then just move along. And if you're only here for an hour, that's okay too. If you're here just for the memory and to add it to the list of some iconic places that you want to see in Japan. I really hope this video was helpful. If you're interested in checking out this temple and other really popular and cool worthwhile sites to see in Japan, please check out my other videos or come along and watch my vlogs to see what we do day by day as we spend about 10 days in Japan. Love to everybody. Hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and please subscribe. Peace.