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Kyoto’s Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion finishes restoration, looks more beautiful than ever【Photos】

Casey Baseel Dec 30, 2020
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It’s not just gold that’s shining right now at one of Japan’s most beautiful historical sites.

As the historical and cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto boasts more sightseeing attractions than arguably anywhere else in the country. It’s got so many, in fact, that a visit to the city often involves having to cut a must-see-level destination from your itinerary, simply because there’s not enough time to fit them all in.

But while this sometimes leads travelers to make the painful choice to skip such a wonder as Nijo Castle, Kiyomizu Temple, or the Heian Shrine, hardly anyone bumps Kinkakuji from their schedule, at least if it’s their first time in Kyoto. The Golden Pavilion truly is a one-of-a-kind architectural marvel, and right now it looks even more beautiful than at any time in roughly the past 20 years.

工事中かなと思いつつだめ元で行った金閣寺、塗り直したばかりで夕陽に光り輝く完璧な金閣寺でした。中学生の時の修学旅行時も工事中だったのでこれが人生初の金閣寺でした。 pic.twitter.com/4lKMpScgCs

— こるすと* (@hi_signalize_cl) December 27, 2020

Kinkakuji is always a breathtaking sight, but it’s looking especially dazzling these days thanks to a just-finished four-month restoration project. The main reason for the construction was replacing the roof surfacing, which required craftsman to install roughly 100,000 planks of Japanese Sawara cypress over an area of 320 square meters (3,444 square feet).

金閣寺舎利殿の杮葺屋根の葺き替え工事終わってました#金閣寺 #鹿苑寺 pic.twitter.com/nRPv1eN576

— しみっちょ (@Gn1EXIA) December 27, 2020

The last re-roofing took place in 2002, and the years of exposure to the elements had dulled the color of the shingles. The freshly installed wood has a bright, lustrous hue to it, shining almost as brilliantly as the building’s gold-covered walls when the sun hits.

世界遺産金閣寺金色に輝く舎利殿屋根のふき替え工事が終了 #nhk_news https://t.co/96gA27GaHO

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) December 29, 2020

Speaking of Kinkakuji’s precious-metal accents, while they had the scaffolding set up craftsmen also took the opportunity to resurface the phoenix sculpture perched atop the very tip of the gracefully curving roof. This part of the restoration project involved some 10,000 pieces of gold leaf.

大徳寺→今宮神社→大徳寺→京うどん→金閣寺→龍安寺→渡月橋→足の限界🥺
金閣寺が一週間前に工事？が終わったらしくていつもよりキラキラになったらしい✨✨
本当は仁和寺も行きたかったけどおっさんには無理でした。 pic.twitter.com/WcnhAMNOzj

— ロッカク (@rokkaku_43) December 28, 2020

・銀閣寺
・金閣寺
工事終わったばかりの、出来たてホヤホヤの金閣寺
綺麗でした pic.twitter.com/3WnqK8xcCX

— ☃︎❄︎ Mᴀʏᴀ ☃︎✿ (@Hika517_Maya525) December 26, 2020

The restoration project officially finished on Monday, and though Kinkakuji’s management did a commendable job creating photo opportunities for visitors even during the construction, it’s nice to see the building back on display, especially when it takes on a special beauty on winter days when it’s surrounded by snow.

Source: NHK News Web
Top image: Wikipedia/Jaycangel (edited by SoraNews24)
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