Kinkaku-ji

Temple Kyoto, Japan

Kinkaku-Ji (金閣寺), officially named Rokuon-Ji (鹿苑寺), is a Zen Buddhist temple whose top two floors are entirely covered in gold leaf and a different style for each floor, that's one of the most popular buildings in Japan, attracting a large number of visitors every year. Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955. It has been appointed as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape, and it is one of 17 locations making up the Historical Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which are World Heritage Sites.