Ginkaku-ji

While Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion lives up to its dazzling name, Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) is a simple wooden building. That sounds disappointing, but it’s not. The two-storey structure impresses with its modesty in an exceptional garden of gravel, moss, pine trees and ponds. It may not have been the intention: the pavilion was built by the same Ashikaga shogun family that created Kinkaku-ji, but whether penury, time or modesty intervened, no silver leaf was ever applied to the structure. The complex was built in 1482 as a retreat for shogun Yoshimasa Ashikaga, and became a Zen temple eight years later on his demise. Now(2010/10), the famous pavilion is concealed as it undergoes renovations, scheduled for completion in March 2010 - but the grounds alone are worth the trip.