The required time is 1.5 hr.
Summary of Kinkakuji-temple (Golden Pavilion)
This temple is one of the most popular tourist spots in Kyoto.
Every year, about 6 million people visit Kinkaku-ji, and its large part of them come from outside Japan. In 1994, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
This was originally a villa belonging to an aristocrat, (Saionji family). After the aristocrat declined, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (the 3rd shogun of Muromachi military government) purchased it and built his own villa in 1397. The size of the villa was comparable to that of the Imperial Palace, and all the political centers were concentrated here. This villa used as a guest house, Yoshimitsu’s office, and his residence. After Shogun Yoshimitu’s death, his son ( the 4th shogun,) converted the villa into the Buddhist temple.
The temple’s official name is Rokuon-ji. It was named after the founder’s posthumous Buddhist name (after his death name), Rokuon-in.
Furthermore, it is derived from the name of the place where Buddha attained enlightenment a long time ago, about 2,500 years ago. And this is a Zen Buddhist temple. Zen Buddhism aims to attain enlightenment and become closer to Buddha’s enlightenment through the practice of zazen meditation.