Byodoin Temple

Byodo-in is a Buddhist temple in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture. In 1052 (Eisho 7), Fujiwara no Yorimichi, then Kampaku (regent), converted a villa estate inherited from his father Michinaga into a temple and founded Byodo-in. In an age when belief in mappo (the Latter Days of the Law) was spreading, the temple has been described as the Fujiwara clan’s attempt to manifest the Western Pure Land in this world. The Phoenix Hall (Ho-o-do) is famously depicted on the front of Japan’s 10-yen coin. It was originally called an Amida Hall, but from around the Edo period it came to be known as the Phoenix Hall. Its defining feature is that it stands on an islet in a pond, reflecting elegantly on the water like a palace floating in the jeweled lake of paradise. The name is said to come from its front view resembling a bird with wings spread, and from the pair of phoenix statues perched on the roof. On the roughly 10-minute walk from JR Uji Station to the temple, you’ll find many tea shops where you can enjoy Uji matcha specialties such as matcha soft serve.