,url-https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripexpert.com%2Fimages%2Fmarker-fade%402x.png(135.75032,35.012756)/135.73939483612776,35.02613567657687,11.763370144073555/1280x214@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidHJpcGV4cGVydHdlYiIsImEiOiJja2Fud3l2MDcwbXZ0MndyeGF3eGI3ZWhzIn0.zLqNa1RECyZZadF8zfQM5w)
Kinkakuji TemplevsNijo Castle
Both Kinkakuji Temple and Nijo-jo Castle are rated highly by those who travel for a living. On balance, Nijo-jo Castle ranks significantly better than Kinkakuji Temple. Nijo-jo Castle comes in at 92 with approval from 4 reviewers like Fodor's, Frommer's and Michelin Guide.
Kinkakuji Temple
Fodor's
Travel + Leisure
U.S. News & World Report
Frommer's
1 Kinkaku-ji-cho Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 603-8361
From $0/night
Fodor's "Possibly the world's most ostentatious retirement cottage, the magnificent gold-sheathed Kinkaku-ji was built by Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga (1358–1409)." Full review
Travel + Leisure "A 14th-century Gold Pavilion." Full review
U.S. News & World Report10.0
"Its top two floors swathed in gold leaf, the Golden Pavilion sits pretty in Kyoto's northern reaches, overlooking the glassy surface of Mirror Lake...what now stands is a replica of Kinkaku-ji" Full review
Frommer's "Features a three-story pavilion covered in gold leaf with a roof topped by a bronze phoenix." Full review
i
Be sure to explore the surrounding park with its moss-covered grounds and teahouses.
Nijo Castle Fodor's Frommer's
Michelin Guide U.S. News & World Report
541 Nijojo-cho, Horikawa-nishiiru, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
From $0/night
Fodor's "Nijo Castle, begun in 1603, is a grandiose and unequivocal statement of the shogunate's power." Full review
Frommer's "The Tokugawa shogun's Kyoto home stands in stark contrast to most of Japan's other remaining castles, which were constructed purely for defense." Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"The ceremonial rooms are embellished with paintings finished with gold, exemplary works of the Kano school, lavishly decorated coffered ceilings and superb tokonoma, altars which honour the ancestors." Full review
U.S. News & World Report7.0
"After years of bitter strife, the aging samurai lord Tokugawa Ieyasu finally wrested power from Japan's many warring clans and unified them at the turn of the 17th century. Upon being..." Full review
