Kinkaku-ji Temple (The Golden Pavilion) Kyoto, Japan by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

Begun in 1397, this was the golden villa of Yoshimitsu, the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga, after he abdicated the Shogunate. The pavilion was burned in 1950 by an unstable novice monk and was completely restored in 1955.

The peaceful landscape was created with a mirror-pond (Kyoko-chi) with carefully designed islands and the home itself was covered in gold leaf on Japanese laquer and crowned with a golden bird sculpture. The pond is even stocked with giant golden and orange carp. The villa and grounds were originally called Kitayamaden and was made into a Zen Buddist temple after Yoshimitsu's death.

A major restoration of the gold leaf exterior was completed in 1987. On the day in May 2008 that this hand-held panorama was taken, hundreds of uniformed schoolchildren (some of these are seen to the left and far right in the photo) were visiting on a school trip.

Also on the grounds is a traditional tea house named Sekka-tei. The Golden Pavilion is located in Northwestern Kyoto, a short subway and street bus ride from the City Centre. Visit www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en / to find out more.