Kinkaku-ji

I have seen Kinkaku-ji in movies and animes but this is my first time visiting. I think it is one of those places in Japan that you have to visit at least once. Here is what I saw while visiting Kinkaku-ji.

We got off from the Kinkaku-ji Express bus at Kinkaku-ji Mae. It looks like an ordinary street in an ordinary town. I always thought Kinkaku-ji is somewhere remote from local traffic but it is not the case.

There are clearly marked signs telling you how to get to Kinkaku-ji after getting off from the bus.

Actually, with a number of visitors, we probably didn’t even need to read any signs. Just follow the crowd :)

Here is the entrance that leads to Kinkaku-ji.

Not too far from the entrance, we were greeted by what we came here for!

Most people started enjoying the scenery right here before even reaching Kinkaku-ji.

There are so many different shades as the maple trees take turns to change into red colour.

Here is a map of the garden surrounding Kinkaku-ji.

Finally, we finished walking around Kinkaku-ji. It is definitely one of those places where you should visit at least once. I think on the day we visited, we just happened to choose a national holiday (labour day). So there were a lot of local tourists visiting this famous temple. Along with the influx of tourists from overseas who are interested in Japan but are afraid of the potential pollution from Fukushima Nuclear Station, there are loads of overseas tourists in Kyoto. I would say I like to visit Kinkaku-ji again, but probably during a different season. I think maybe Spring or Summer will give it a very different feeling.