Uploaded July 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
With its moss covered gardens, bamboo groves, and interesting dry-sand garden, Ginkaku-ji lives up to the phrase “simple is beautiful”. Located in northeastern Kyoto, the temple was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the grandson of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who built Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion). Originally Ginkaku-ji was a retirement villa from which Yoshimasa propagated the surge of cultural pursuits that would later be referred to as “Higashiyama Culture”, but it was converted into a temple after Yoshimasa’s death in accordance with his wishes. Now the temple stands as a testament to the intrinsically Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, with a simple wooden pavilion overlooking a pond and carefully crafted sand designs full of symbolism and deeper meaning.
To see more of Ginkaku-ji and how to get there, check out our page:
discoverkyoto.com/places-go/ginkaku-ji
With its moss covered gardens, bamboo groves, and interesting dry-sand garden, Ginkaku-ji lives up to the phrase “simple is beautiful”. Located in northeastern Kyoto, the temple was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the grandson of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who built Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion). Originally Ginkaku-ji was a retirement villa from which Yoshimasa propagated the surge of cultural pursuits that would later be referred to as “Higashiyama Culture”, but it was converted into a temple after Yoshimasa’s death in accordance with his wishes. Now the temple stands as a testament to the intrinsically Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, with a simple wooden pavilion overlooking a pond and carefully crafted sand designs full of symbolism and deeper meaning.
To see more of Ginkaku-ji and how to get there, check out our page:
discoverkyoto.com/places-go/ginkaku-ji
![Beautiful Kyoto: Cherry Blossoms at Ninna-ji Temple [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oO7SqyKi7CE/mqdefault.jpg "Beautiful Kyoto: Cherry Blossoms at Ninna-ji Temple [4K]
When it comes to sakura season in Kyoto, you have a lot of options when it comes to the type of flowers youd like to see. Weeping cherry trees, double-flowered cherry trees, mountain cherry trees... and Omuro cherry trees! This particular type of sakura is shorter than others, features white blossoms, and blooms later than most other types. Ninna-ji temple in northwestern Kyoto is famous for their grove of Omuro Sakura, and the sight of the temples pagoda over a sea of flowers is iconic. Dont miss Ninna-jis cherry blossoms in late April!
To see more of Ninna-ji Temple and how to get there, check out our page:
https://www.discoverkyoto.com/places-go/ninna-ji")
