Kyoto -- Golden Pavilion III

We were fascinated by the rooftops of the little buildings.

This one was like bundles of straw with moss growing on top.

The thin layers of wood on this one were amazing!

A fun shisa!

Fudo Hall is a small temple housing a protector of Buddhism.

Burning incense as a part of worship.

A prayer wall of sorts. Prayers are written on wooden plaques, then hung on a hook.

Before heading down the hill to the exit, I took time for an ice cream snack...

...a Strawberry Choco Chip Monaka--- YUM!!!

A few final shots...

"The Dementia Thirteen"..... yep!!

Directions of how to use a western-style toilet!

But, whichever style toilet you use,

"Please use a toilet finely."

And one more kimono pic....

Kyoto -- Golden Pavilion II

Views of the pond as you follow the path around the pavilion.

To the other side of the path is the former living quarters of the head priest. We were astonished at the way they had made a bamboo platform to hold up part of that tree!

No admittance to the building requires the use of zoom to see inside.

It's hard to imagine just how much gold leaf was used to coat the top two floors of the pavilion! The third floor is evidently even gilded on the inside.

Beautiful grounds behind the pavilion

A few sites along the path as it winds on around...

a small rock waterfall (above)

crazy stairwell (below)

Toss in a coin for luck

Some crazy tree roots

The path winds around and up to lend this lovely view!

Then into this little village, of sorts...

Kyoto -- Golden Pavilion

Kinkaku-ji

Originally built between 1100-1300 as part of a shogun's (aristocrat) estate, following his wishes upon his death, his son converted into a Zen temple. The building has been burnt down and rebuilt a number of times through the years, the most recent in 1955.

The beautiful walkway leading to the building grounds.

The gateway in the outer wall

Spectacular craftsmanship on the woodwork of the inner gate

If my bearings are correct, this is the back of what used to be the head priest's living quarters.

Our tickets to see the Golden Pavilion!

The path first takes you to view the front of the temple from across the pond, then leads around the side and behind the temple.

A lovely view on the pond....