Little pagoda on the White Snake Mound in the pond of Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who was the third Shogun in the Muromachi era, had many mistresses, and it is said that one of them was deeply jealous of the others and threw herself into the pond, becoming a white snake. So Yoshimitsu built the White Snake Mound to console her soul. That is why some people say that a white snake is the symbol of jealousy. But actually, it was built because the legendary creature was the guardian deity of the Hosokawa family, who had owned this area before.
Omikugi (fortune) vending machines at the Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. At most temples and shrines, when you want to get an omikugi (fortune), you go through the process of shaking a numbered stick out of a container, and one of the attendants gives you the matching fortune and takes your money. Here at Kinkaku-ji, you can DIY it with a vending machine.
Colorful fall foliage in the gardens of Kinkaku-ji - the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan
