Ginkaku-ji

Also known as the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji is yet another Zen Buddhist temple located in hills of eastern Kyoto. Modelled after the golden Kinkaku-ji Temple, it was built by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sometime in the 15th century. A core of the Higashiyama Culture which includes the Wabi Sabi aesthetics of simplicity, and the popular Ikebana flower arrangement, Ginkaku-ji continues to stand as an important religious and cultural address in Japan. Interestingly, it’s so called ‘Silver Pavilion’ is not silver at all, and is home to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Visitors are unfortunately aren’t allowed to explore its interiors. A brilliantly preserved structure, the pavilion has survived countless earthquakes and fires, and still retains its magnificence to this day. Ginkaku ji’s gardens are replete with moss and dry sand, and possess this unique beauty with their streams, plants and sand cones. The Togudo temple building, adjacent to the silver pavilion, is a great illustration of Shoin architecture with its Tatami rooms. The path behind the temple complex leads up to a hill that offers some arresting views of the city of Kyoto.
Ginkaku ji is open from 8:30 in the morning till 5 in the evening, and you would have to pay 500 Yen as an entrance fee. A direct bus from the Kyoto station should get you to the temple in about 40 minutes.