Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

鹿苑寺（金閣寺）

A gold-leaf pavilion mirrored in a pond

Hours

Daily 9am–5pm

Tickets

Adults ¥500, elementary/junior high ¥300 (check on site); pay at the gate

Address

1 Kinkakuji-cho, Kita-ku

A few steps past the gate the pavilion appears across the pond, its upper two floors covered in gold leaf, and on a clear day its reflection fits in the same frame. You can't go inside: a fixed path loops round the pond and garden, so it takes 30–40 minutes. The ticket is a paper talisman, which many people keep as a souvenir.