Earlier, we headed to one of the most famous and most visited shrines in all of Japan.
A few minutes walk from Hanajuku station is the famous Meiji Shrine and its forested grounds.
Introduction
Completed in 1920, the shrine itself is dedicated to the late Emperor Meiji and his consort emperor Shoken ruling from 1867 to 1912, Meiji was the first Emperor of modern Japan.
If you haven't heard of these before, let me introduce Emperor Meiji further.
If there was an all-star team of historical Japanese leaders, Emperor Meiji would probably be in the starting line up.
Emperor Meiji (明治天皇 Meiji-tennō, November 3, 1852 – July 30, 1912), or Meiji the Great (明治大帝Meiji-taitei), was the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death on July 30, 1912. He presided over a time of rapid change in the Empire of Japan, as the nation quickly changed from an isolationist feudal state to a capitalist and imperial world power, characterized by the Japanese industrial revolution. Source
Japan, as a feudal nation was primarily focused on agriculture in his time and when his rule ended in 1912, Japan got rid of feudalism and became a modernized industrial world power. So, you could say he’s a pretty important guy.
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and with the population of nearly 40 million, also the largest metropolis on earth. In the middle of the greater Tokyo area is Tokyo prefecture itself. The multiple downtown areas are all connected by the main subway line from Tokyo station to several other major cities. Despite its size or possibly because of it, Tokyo has developed into an extremely orderly city with a convenient and reliable public transportation system as well as a remarkably low crime rate. Although it has a high population density, it can feel surprisingly suburban or even a countryside once you venture away from the major railway station. Today, Tokyo is one of Japan's premier hub for culture, cuisine, entertainment and shopping. It also has countless stores, temples, gardens, parks landmarks and museums.
Back to the Meiji Shrine
Among the most impressive things about this place are the massive Torii gates that lead all the way up to the shrine itself. You really need to see them in person just to gauge how incredible they are.
Before making our way to the main shrine, we stopped at this pavilion to take photos.
When entering inside a Shinto shrine, the visitor should perform a symbolic cleansing called temizu (from te “hand” and mizu “water” - water to purify the hands). This purification is considered indispensable before visiting the sacred area and it signifies the removal of evil and pollution. For the ritual, every shrine provides an ablution pavilion - chōzuya or temizuya - usually a stone basin filled with clear water, with wooden ladles. Source
The shrine’s grounds are a peaceful oasis in the densely populated city together with neighboring Yoyogi park, this forested area of Tokyo provides an excellent place to escape the busy city. Near Meiji Shrine are several other worthwhile areas to explore. Just across the street is Harajuku which is known as the center of teenage culture in Japan. Here, you’ll find the famous Takeshadori shopping street as well as the elegant Omotesando Avenue which provides many shopping options as you approach the Meiji Shrine..
At the main shrine complex, one can do most of the typical Japan Shriney things like buying charms and writing prayers on tags that you can hang right here:
Although being a Christian, we don’t do most of the rituals I have described, we enjoyed sightseeing and obviously, taking photos. For couples like us, it’s an amazing time together!
If you’re lucky you may even witness a traditional Japanese wedding procession. But the grounds aren’t limited to just this shrine complex. If you’re looking for a nice walk in the middle Tokyo, the magical forested park is right for you.
In June is perhaps the best time for us to come back here when the Iris Garden in full bloom. This actually consists of over 100,000 trees. It’s such an incredibly relaxing site!
The Sake Barrels and Wine Barrels
The Sake is donated from all over Japan and the wine is donated from France. It’s donated every year to the shrine deities of the emperors.
The walk up there is incredibly relaxing. The fact that it’s in the middle of Tokyo is unbelievable! Although the actual shrine is still under construction you'll never run out of good views and interesting stops so, as far as I'm concerned, it's well worth the visit.
Hopefully, now you feel a little more informed about Meiji Shrine and what its like to visit.
Like I said above, this is one of my top spots to take a walk in Tokyo and I would like to know your favorite places to take a walk in Japan as well. So let me know in the comments.
Until next time.
