Posted on April 29, 2013
by Sam 
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Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later.
Source: Japan Guide
More from Kyoto
More images from Kyoto's temples and other sights around...
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Yangshuo is probably most well-known for the small town about 30km away, Xingpingzhen, whose view upstream along the Li River is featured on the back of the 20 Yuan bank note. You can see the images of life in Yangshuo and some panoramas of the surrounding scenery in this collection posted today. For those visiting, I cannot recommend enough the Yangshuo Secret Garden (actually about 25 minutes outside of Yangshuo in the village of Jiuxiancun), which is an on-going project to restore a Qing dynasty village. Ian and Faye made us feel very welcome.
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We arrived in New Zealand's South Island and immediately jumped into the car. From Christchurch to Fox Glacier in 2 days. Below are some of the beautiful lakes we saw on the way.
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The Cathedral of Florence is dedicated to "Santa Maria del Fiore". It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio (around 1250-1300) who considerably enlarged the existing religious structure. By 1367, all that remained unfinished was the facade and the dome and a competition was launched to complete the dome. The competition was won by two architects, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1368-1445) and Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), although it was the latter who went on to build the dome itself, finishing it in 1436, while the facade was not completed until the 19th century.
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The iconic double-decker tram celebrates its 100th year on the tracks in 2012. To mark the occasion a group of Hong Kong photographers took to the streets to capture images of this wonderfully historic form of transport.
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Macau is a fascinating place if only for the fact that the historic portuguese-influenced islands have been raided by billionnaires who have reclaimed the land and set up gigantic casino complexes.
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The name 'Wat Bechamabophit' simply means : the temple of the Fifth King. It is a royal monastery belonging to the first class ranking of Rajavaravihara. Few wats belong to this class. The wat was founded during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) on 1 March 1900. The main structure at Wat Benchamabophit is the Ubosoth Hall. It is one of the finest works of architectural art of the Bangkok period. The Ubosoth has four gables, with the east gable being the main entrance. At the rear of the Ubosoth is a cloister with 52 Buddha images. Some are original and have been brought here from all corners...
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In my opinion Suvarnabhumi International Airport has to be one of the most visually stunning airport structures in the world.
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Boracay was originally home only to the indigenous Ati tribe. Of small stature, delicate frame, dark brown complexion, nappy hair, this indigenous people arrived crossing land bridges when sea levels were lower and the Philippines was still connected to the mainland.
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A few steps from Queen’s Road Central, concealed by skyscrapers, is an ancient, picturesque, Chinese market. It is a fascinating place.
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A little something in-between the heavy rain showers battering Hong Kong this weekend; a 16-image panorama of the Tsing Ma Bridge with heavy rain clouds overhead. A poster print of this image is also available.
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Rambler Channel, formerly Tsing Yi Channel, is spanned by Stonecutters Bridge, a high level suspension bridge connecting Nam Wan Kok Island and Stonecutters Island. The bridge has a height of 298 meters making it the 4th tallest bridge in the world.
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