Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

Kyoto

temple

Kinkaku-ji, officially named Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in northern Kyoto. Its top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. The temple was originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was converted to a Zen temple after his death. The current structure is a 1955 reconstruction after the original was destroyed by fire.