Byōdō-in

Heian-era Buddhist World Heritage temple near Kyōto — celebrated for its Phoenix Hall reflected in a pond.

Byōdō-in in Uji, near Kyōto, is one of Japan's most significant Buddhist temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally built in 998 as an aristocratic villa during the Heian period, the complex was converted into an Amida temple in 1052. At its heart stands the Hōōdō — the Phoenix Hall — whose elegant silhouette is reflected perfectly in the pond before it. The building is considered one of the finest surviving examples of classical Japanese Heian-era architecture. Inside stands a gilded Amida Buddha statue designated a National Treasure of Japan. The image of the Hōōdō appears on Japanese 10-yen coins — a quiet sign of how deeply this place is embedded in national memory.