Marco Polo, the famous 13th-century Venetian explorer, wrote in his book "Il Milione (The Million)" that Japan was rich in gold, even though his travels only took him as far as China. It was the first time Japan was introduced to the Western world.
Despite Polo's inaccurate reporting, I could easily believe what he wrote when I saw the Konjikido (Golden Hall) of the Chusonji Temple in Hiraizumi, a town in Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan.
The hall is 8 meters high and 5.4 meters wide and is covered almost entirely with gold, apart from the roof.