Temple · Kinugasa / Kita Ward

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) 金閣寺 (鹿苑寺)

The Golden Pavilion: a three-storey Zen reliquary covered in gold leaf, mirrored in Kyokochi pond, and one of the most photographed buildings in Japan.

Hours9:00-17:00

ClosedOpen daily

PriceAdult (high school and up): ¥500
Elementary and junior high: ¥300

Getting thereKinkakuji-michi bus stop (bus 101, 102, 204, 205), 5 min; Kitaoji Station (Karasuma Line) then taxi 10 min

Time needed45 min-1 hour

Best timeOpening time on a weekday, or after snowfall in winter

Address1 Kinkakuji-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto

Websiteshokoku-ji.jp/en/kinkakuji

About

Officially Rokuon-ji, Kinkaku-ji began as the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397 and became a Zen temple of the Shokoku-ji school after his death. Each floor of the pavilion is built in a different style: a Heian palace-style ground floor, a samurai-house middle floor and a Chinese Zen-style top floor crowned with a bronze phoenix, the upper two finished in gold leaf. The original burned in 1950, set alight by a young monk, an event fictionalised in Yukio Mishima's novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and the present building is a faithful 1955 reconstruction that was regilded in the 1980s with thicker leaf. The visit is a one-way loop: the famous view across the pond comes first, then the path passes behind the pavilion, by the Ginga-sen spring where Yoshimitsu drew tea water, the Anmintaku pond and the Sekka-tei teahouse, ending at a small tea garden where you can sit for matcha. The ticket itself is a paper talisman for good fortune.

Highlights

The classic view of the gilded pavilion reflected in Kyokochi pond
Bronze phoenix on the roof and the different architectural style of each floor
Sekka-tei, an Edo-period teahouse said to frame the evening view of the pavilion
Paper talisman admission ticket, a nice keepsake
Rare snowy mornings, when the gold and white contrast draws photographers at opening

Tips

Be at the gate at 9:00 sharp; school groups and tour buses arrive from about 9:45.
The best reflection is in the first minutes of the loop, so hold your spot by the pond for a still moment rather than rushing.
Combine with Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji along the Kinukake-no-michi road, a 20-minute walk west.
Bus 205 from Kyoto Station is crowded; bus 101 or a taxi from Kitaoji Station on the Karasuma Line is easier.
Cashless payment was added in 2026, but carry cash as a backup.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) 金閣寺 (鹿苑寺)

About

Highlights

Tips

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