This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @japon: Kinkaku-ji, le temple du pavillon d’or à Kyoto
As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.
Remember that the person that speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but @japon, a French guy.
If there is a very touristy place in Kyoto, it is indeed this Buddhist temple located in the northern part of the city. Travelers from all over the world flock by the thousands every day to admire the Kinkaku-ji and its famous golden pavilion. It is certainly the most visited place, "the place to be", where you have to be seen and take a selfie.
I decide to go by bus, there is a direct line that passes close to my ryokan and brings me directly to the Kinkaku-ji. The buses in Kyoto are operated by different companies, and it seems to me that day to have taken the number 101 of the RAKU company. This trip marked me because the driver had a microphone and indicated everything he did, with a slightly nasal voice.
"Warning. I start", "Warning, I turn left", "Warning, I stop at a light"
After 20 minutes of this comic ride, I can stop him "kinkakuji-michi", the temple is right next to it. It is 8:30 and it opens at 9:00. I am one of the first, I have some time to walk around.
School groups arrive, whole cars with their teacher. All dressed in their dark blue uniforms. Some gather around the vending machines installed nearby, in a cheerful atmosphere. I remember then my school trips that I did when I was much younger.
I realize that a large tail formed in front of the temple entrance. I just lost my first place in the line. We are approaching the opening hours and tourists arrive by the hundreds. Everyone is lining up, the Japanese are disciplined, the foreigners are very noisy.
I finally reach the entrance of the temple, I pay the price of the entrance and I receive a calligraphy as a ticket (is a small prayer written on it?).
The tour begins with a quiet path, passing by several buildings of the Buddhist complex. Then this exceptional image. A lake, on which is reflected a golden pavilion. The two upper floors are entirely covered with gold. The contrast is striking with the surrounding greenery.
Because what makes the magic of this place, it is this symbiosis between the lake, the rocks, the cut trees and this small building placed in the middle. The image is exceptional, and just when I arrived the sun began to shine!
There are a lot of people, and it becomes complicated to take pictures. Everyone wants their selfie, it's a bit crowded.
Kinkaku-ji is not limited to the golden pavilion. There are also beautiful gardens that we discover through a small path. We pass just behind the building, to enjoy a beautifully maintained park. Besides, some women were busy picking up the smallest fallen leaves.
The ride lasts almost half an hour, with different atmospheres that are revealed to those who want to look at them, such as this small bridge covered with moss, this staircase formed with large stones, or this small traditional building with tatami mats and tokonoma.
I arrive at the top of a small hill, from which we have another view of the golden pavilion, which seems lost among the trees.
All this would almost forget that Kinkaku-ji is above all a temple. At the end of the route is a small place of prayer. Some patiently wait their turn to ring the bell and invoke the gods.
It is also a very commercial place, with many shops of religious objects but also trinkets for tourists. I buy a pair of chopsticks bearing the effigy of the place, it will be a beautiful memory of this day.
Although the place is very cliché, the Kinkaku-ji is really a place to see if you go to Kyoto. It is difficult to describe in a few words and photos the atmosphere that emanates from the place. One must simply know how to ignore the sometimes noisy crowd.
Without necessarily brooding the place, the Japanese prefer the silver pavilion, less tinsel, less "bling bling". This other temple is precisely programmed on my list of places to visit in Kyoto ...
-- @japon
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