Meiji Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. The shrine offers spacious grounds with walking paths that are great for a relaxing stroll.
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A beautiful walk through the forest leads you to the Shrine and a number of sightseeing, events along the way, such as the "Saki Barrels".
Visitors to the shrine can take part in typical Shinto activities, such as making offerings at the main hall, buying charms and amulets or writing out one's wish on an ema.
There are 80000 shinto shrines in Japan and that Meiji Jingu is the most popular of all.
Did you know?
Your Japan visit would be incomplete without visiting a shrine. So before planning your trip to this amazing place, read the listed astonishing facts about Meiji Shrine.
1. Built in the memory of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, first emperor and empress of modern-day Japan, Meiji Jingu Shrine is commemorating it’s 100th year in 2020.
2. Olympians in 1964 remember Meiji Jingu as their neighborhood forest. The shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji was a wooded area next to their Olympic Village in Tokyo, where athletes like Peter Snell would maintain their condition with a run.
3. You can find over 1,20,000 trees in the forest bordering the Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park. They cover a range of different species, which came as donations from all over the country.
4. The iris garden was selected to build the shrine because it was here where both the emperor and empress were known to take a stroll quite often.
5. The shrine is all done in nagare zukuri style which is a traditional Japanese style with cypress and copper as the base elements.
6. The Iris garden consists of a power spot too where the people come to restore their energy by purging out the negatives and taking in the positives. The spot is called Kiyomasa’s Well.
7. The shrine has celebrations throughout the year, keeping it active and alive. These celebrations begin on the New Year’s day (Nikku sai) and continue until the end of the year when the Joya sai falls (December 31).
8. You can write your name and your wish for the future and for your loved ones on a copper plate that will be left behind to adorn the rooftop of the shrine.
9. The shrine was fully destructed by an air attack during the World War II and was reconstructed with the support of people and the government in October 1958.
10. Omotesando is a street that leads you to the shrine, It is said that it has a greater resemblance to Champs-Élysées in Paris or 5th Avenue in New York.
11. While on the route entering the shrine halls, you can observe vessels of sake on your right and kegs of wine on your left. These are known offerings at the shrine.
12. The Meiji Jingu Treasure House in the northern part of the shrine is a house to the personal belongings of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.
13. The Meiji Jingu Shrine is the youngest of all the shrines in Japan and is also the most famous one.
14. It is compulsory to bow down once you enter the torii gate and to bow again while leaving it as a tradition of paying respect to the sacred place.
15. Shichi go san no hi or “seven five three day” is held on November 15 every year and the shrine celebrates the children of age three, five and seven wearing traditional kimonos.
A peaceful oasis in the heart of modern Tokyo, Meiji Shrine is a must visit place in Japan. Make your bookings now.