Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), Kyoto, Japan — Built as the retirement villa of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the gold-leaf-covered pavilion reflects in its mirror pond with breathtaking effect. The current structure dates to 1955, rebuilt after a disturbed monk burned the original — an act that shocked the nation and inspired Yukio Mishima's 1956 novel.
© Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
