Kyoto's Toji Pagoda Gets New Eco-Friendly Lighting

Above, a view of the Toji temple's pagoda from a shinkansen window.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A news article on the new lighting system for the Toji temple pagoda in Kyoto caught my attention.

According to The Asahi Shimbun's AJW:

KYOTO--Bathed in a breathtaking golden color at night, the 55-meter-tall pagoda of Toji temple near JR Kyoto Station is shining brighter and more eco-friendly than ever, thanks to a lighting upgrade. 

While passengers seeing the landmark from the Shinkansen may not notice any change, the national treasure five-story pagoda is sporting new light-emitting diode lighting, starting Dec. 6, which can halve the annual electricity costs. 

Officials of the 1,200-year-old Toji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, said they have illuminated the pagoda, which was rebuilt in 1644, at night since 1970. They installed high brilliance lighting in 1995 to make the bister-colored pagoda shine in a golden hue at night.

The article's accompanying photograph of the pagoda shows it lit up in a brilliant golden hue.

According to Wikipedia:

The pagoda of Tō-ji stands 54.8 m high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. It dates from the Edo period, when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. The pagoda has been, and continues to be, a symbol of Kyoto. Entrance into the pagoda itself is permitted only a few days a year.

To read the full article on the lighting of the pagoda, go here.