Sometimes the weather does cooperate and the sun perfectly strikes the golden temple of Kinkaku-Ji in Kyoto, Japan just as we arrive. Until today, I wasn’t much of a fan of painting a house golden, but now, when the sun strikes a perfect reflection on the water, I can see the appeal of it.

*Yes, I took this picture on my iPhone SE from 2020 and it still works!*

I can also see the appeal of getting to these sights early as in when they first open and you have the whole place to yourself. We were there kinda early which is not the same thing and needed to work our way through the (growing) crowds. But still early enough to beat the mega-busses of tourists who arrived just as we were leaving. Phew!

In 1994, the Kinkaku-Ji Temple was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site especially for its scenic beauty which it has reportedly maintained since at least 1397, when the Kitayama palace was founded as a center of politics and culture and used to welcome the Emperors of Japan and trading partners from China.

Today it remains an active Zen temple of Shokoku-ji school of Rinzal Buddhist denomination (according to the brochure they hand out when you arrive t the sight).

I love that the coy fish are huge in Japan. It’s clear that no one fishes for them and that they are well fed. Because they do not fear anyone on the surface, they are often seen at the surface of the water.

*The coy fish are huge in these lakes surrounding the buildings*

As you walk pas the main area, you begin to make your assent. They have these areas where you can toss coins for good luck. Of course, the main goal is to get your coin into the center bowl. I confidently turned to Violet and said, “No problem. And handed her one to give it a try for herself.” Before pausing, I snapped the coin, banked it off the backstop and into the bowl with a satisfying sound of money going in the bowl (to Violet’s astonishment).

*View from the fence where you toss your coin into the bowl for luck*

I shared with Violet that this is something I had spent hours and hours perfecting in college with my roommates who loved bottled beer. The ability to “snap” a bottle cap meant you could aim it with a high degree of accuracy and shoot it across the room. I had noticed earlier that the single Yen coins in Japan were weighted similarly to bottle caps and was looking forward to trying this out. This had been my chance and opportunity to impress.

*And impress, it did. Violet couldn’t believe I made it on my 1st try.*

As we walked up a bit further, there was a wonderful lookout over the original building we had been taking photographs of now from a higher vantage point.

Similar to yesterday, they have their area where you can write down your prayers and burn incense as well as bang a loud gong as you bow and pray.

ABT. “Another Beautiful Temple!” I’m sure we’ll be saying that a lot in Japan as we travel more and more of the countryside. There are many beautiful temples located throughout the country of Japan. Each is unique in its beauty and integration into the nature in which it lives.

As we continue to venture more and more into Japan, we’ll check out the unique differences and the similarities that these temples share.

On our way back, we passed by a family portrait studio and I had to stop and take a few pictures of my own.

How cool would it be to get dressed up in your best komono for your family pictures? I know this is not particularly “new” or “special” for this part of the world, and doing this in the US would no doubt be cultural appropriation, but the colors in these pictures are stunning and the end results are incredible.

Next door was the cultural heritage store where many handmade crafts were being sold to tourists including some beautiful art.