Byodoin （平等院）, Kyoto

 Established in 1052, Byodoin （平等院） is 1 of the most famous temples of Buddhism in Japan. It's a part of UNESCO's World Heritage Site, "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)".

 I visited there and took photos on April 9, 2021, when this temple held a seasonal special admission with evening light-up for a limited number of tourists. This event is held in every Spring and Autumn and it's the only chance to take night shots. Usually the business hour is 8:30 - 17:30 and morning is the best time to take good photos. I'll write the reason later.

 This Buddhism temple itself is called Byodoin and its main hall is named Hoh-oh-do (鳳凰堂, Phoenix Hall).

 This beautiful temple has long been motifs in Japanese currencies. The Phoenix Hall itself is on 10 JPY coins, and the phoenix sculpture on the rooftop (south one) is on 10,000 JPY bills.

 In spite of its astonishing beauty, the Phoenix Hall isn't exactly photographer-friendly, because of the time and philosophy it was built on. You need camera tips before visiting there.

 The hall faces the east because it was designed to embody Buddha's "Holy Land" in the west, which has been the sacred direction in Buddhism contexts. Then the hall is shined from the behind by the setting sun. I'm pretty sure ancient people found it divine, but in our modern time, backlight is simply no good for photography. You need to get up early and go there in the morning in order to take good photos.

 1 more hardship is the width of the Phoenix Hall. Its shape was designed after a Phoenix spreading its wings. So, the hall is wide spread to the north and south, and of course the ancient people in 11th century didn't care modern frame ratio at all. The hall is simply too wide and too low for a camera frame. You need to find good angles in the middle of massive tourists there. 

 I recommend to visit there early in the morning, hopefully as early as it opens, or seasonal special admissions in Spring or Autumn, which usually limit the number of visitors.

 The location on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/wUrTp1sMT8DLbbXq8

 Article: https://destination--japan.blogspot.com/2021/05/byodoin-kyoto.html