Day 8: Kyoto (Ginkaku-Ji)

Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺, lit. “Temple of the Silver Pavilion”), officially named Jishō-ji (慈照寺, lit. “Temple of Shining Mercy”), is a Zen temple.

We boarded the 100 bus to see Ginkaku-Ji – this is one of the temples we missed out in our first trip to Japan and we are very keen to see it to complete the set. Luckily when we arrived the temple wasn’t too crowded, which is just as well because the landscaping is spectacular, with the Pavilion (which is sadly not silver – it was intended to be gilded in silver foil but sadly left unfinished) set at the foot of a hill complete with the kogetsudai and ginshadan (the silver cylindrical structure and the sand mound).

The aspect of the trees and the ponds and the bridges are just absolutely perfect and stunning. The garden is one of those places where no matter where you eyes turn you get a perfectly composed view.