Kinkakuji 金閣寺, means “golden pavilion”. And it is not exaggerated: it is really a pavilion completely covered with gold! The Kinkakuji we see today is actually a reconstruction of the original, which has been completely destroyed by the fire. A story tells us that a monk searching for perfection and irritated by the “too perfect” look of the Kinkakuji set it to fire.
Other interesting fact: there also exists a Ginkakuji 銀閣寺, “silver pavilion”, but this one is not at all covered with silver. It seems that the man who planned to build it got peniless before having started to put the first gram of silver. It’s a pity! But the gardens of the Ginkakuji are really worth passing by.