After checking into my hotel to drop my gear off around 2pm on Sunday, my first stop was Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu constructed in the 1390's. It's claim to fame is a three-story pavilion covered in gold leaf. This is not a small building, and is dazzling when the sun is out.
Ryoanji Temple was next, and is one of my three favorite sites in Kyoto. The main structure houses a famous Zen rock garden, but what I liked most about the place was the architecture and the temple grounds (with its large 1,000 year old pond). Very peaceful.
By the time I left Ryoanji it was already past 5pm, and all the other sites were closed so I just caught a bus downtown to Shijo-Kawaramachi and walked about Pantocho until I found a place to have dinner. Since not much else appeared to be open, I just called it a night.
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