Japan, Day 10

Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji Temples

Built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the temple is covered with gold foil. Originally, the gold only covered the top floor. But in 1950 a young monk burned the temple to the ground as a way of consummating his obsession with it. The temple was completely rebuilt by 1955, exactly following the original design, with one, notable exception: the gold now extends down to the second floor.