Ginkakuji, or the Silver Pavilion as it is more widely known, is a Zen temple in Higashiyama in northeastern Kyoto. It was founded in 1482 by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who built the Silver Pavilion to resemble the grand Golden Pavilion founded by his predecessor Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Like the Golden Pavilion, the Silver Pavilion was built as a place of spirituality and relaxation for the shogun. The temple was originally designed to be covered in silver in reference to the Golden Pavilion, but silver at the time was far more valuable than gold and the shogunate did not have the funding for the final silver gilt of the temple hall. The Silver Pavilion stands as it did then, not covered in the precious metal, but still a masterpiece of woodwork and an inspiring landscape of rock gardens, dominating trees, and lush mossy hills.

For the casual: 10, for the educated: 10.

Though nowhere near as ostentatious as the Golden Pavilion founded by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Silver Pavilion is dominant in its subdued and tranquil environment. I've been asked which temple I would prefer to return to, the Golden Pavilion or the Silver Pavilion, and to be honest it isn't a hard question. I would much rather spend my time at the Silver Pavilion than the Golden Pavilion and it's not for the reasons you might think. For one, the Silver Pavilion is a better temple. Sure, the Golden Pavilion has real gold adorning the main hall of the complex, but the rest of the complex didn't match that same level of glamor. The Silver Pavilion on the other hand is a better complex because the main hall fits with the rest of the complex. It stands out in design and location, but it doesn't overshadow the rest of the temple. Then there is the question of environment. The Golden Pavilion is open and draws massive crowds for the obvious reason, but the Silver Pavilion is secluded, and though similarly host to large crowds, they're not the same as the overwhelming magnitude that is drawn to the Golden Pavilion. Because of this, as a visitor, I felt like I was given the opportunity to make a personal connection with the Silver Pavilion, a connection I was not given the chance of at the Golden Pavilion. I know this has been rather preachy, but between the two, I would rather visit the Golden Pavilion only the one time but return often to the Silver Pavilion.