one word:

GION

Wiki it, lonely planet, whatever you trust, but dont get out of that area.

And yes, the pavilion. The time i went i was surprised for the lack of crowds. Very cool.

Oh shit... I didn't even realize, we're going to be there DURING the Gion festival!

Golden pavillion was a let-down. I expected some rural walk up to this big, gorgeous structure. What I got was 20 minute cab ride from hotel Fuujita, a dirt path with vending machines on both sides and a suprisingly small building.

Every picture you see of the damn thing is in the perfect angle to hide the grey, bleak 20th century office buildings in the distance.

Go to Kiyomizu, much more beautiful, and for some reason I really enjoyed just wandering through the massive graveyards near there. Just don't buy stuff in the tourist shops around it. Overpriced.

As with any trip to Japan, eat some Ramen. Hit up the big clubs if you can get in, hit up the mid-sized bars if you can't. Try to get in to a strip club and be told no Gaijin. I remember there being this big shopping area which had a roof over certain sections, but it was just another street; Shaky's Pizza was there, as was the like... eight story arcade place, good shit. That was... North of the Koma River methinks.