Meiji Shrine is right next to Harajuku Street, aka Cat Alley. It’s in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, which is a few blocks from Shibuya Crossing.
[adinserter name=”Block 2″]Japan is filled with shrines and temples. There are hundreds upon hundreds of shrines in Japan; there’s a lot of them listed as Japan’s National Treasure. I think Japan has more shrines than ramen shops. It’s a great way to get full then burn off calories on any trip. In my opinion, it’s a win-win situation.
The CourtyardMeiji Shrine is a dedication to a former Emperor and Empress — Meiji and Shoken. It’s Shinto shrine. Shinto is an ancient religion in Japan with no founder, no prophet, no man-written book, and no religious conversion ceremony. It’s a belief founded around harmony with nature and the practice of magokoro (i.e., a sincere heart). It’s a great concept
The Meiji Shrine is surrounded by more than 100,000 trees. In the mid-1910s, people donated the trees when Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken passed away. The trees create a forest around the shrine and it gives it a magical atmosphere when walking through it. I could have sworn there were mermaids, unicorns, and fairies everywhere around the place. Well, that was before the shrooms and acid wore off.
Wedding CeremonyMeiji has a massive tree in the middle of it. The well-known shrine has prayers left by visitors under a massive tree where priests and maidens dress in traditional clothing during a wedding. There’s a garden next to the shrine. Furthermore, there are wine and sake barrels on the path to the main shrine grounds. For your information, the barrels are empty. I tried to drink from them and almost got kicked out.
Lastly, it’s a great place to take a walk. It’s right next to Harajuku Street and inside Yoyogi Park. It’s a good stop before heading to the overpopulated Shibuya Crossing down the street. For more information about Yoyogi Park, check out our article here.
[adinserter name=”Block 1″]The official website here:
http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/
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