Tokyo · Shibuya and Harajuku
Meiji Jingu
Meiji Shrine was founded in 1920 in memory of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken, inside a forest planted for the purpose: about 100 thousand trees from all over Japan. The team that planned the forest, led by the researcher Seiroku Honda, did not want a manicured garden but a forest that would look natural by itself. They planned a succession of generations of trees that would replace itself over about a hundred years without any human intervention, and that is exactly what happened: today you cannot tell that the whole forest was planted by hand.
The main buildings of the shrine burned down completely in the bombing of 14 April 1945. The restoration took years and was funded by about 600 million yen collected from donations in Japan and around the world, and the new sanctuary was dedicated on 31 October 1958.
The first gate at the southern entrance, opposite Harajuku Station, was replaced in 2022. The previous gate was made of Taiwanese cypress, which may no longer be felled, and the new one is made of cedar from Yoshino in Nara, 10.1 meters high.
Good to know
- In the inner garden, for a separate fee, is Kiyomasa's Well, which folk belief considers a 'power spot'. It draws a line of its own, separate from the line for the garden.
- The Meiji Jingu Museum, in a 2019 building designed by Kengo Kuma, shows personal items of the emperor and the empress. Closed on Thursdays, except on a holiday.
- On weekends there is a good chance of seeing a Shinto wedding procession near the main sanctuary, usually in the morning hours.
- After 10:00 tour groups fill the path from the main gate to the sanctuary. If you arrive early you walk almost alone.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Meiji Jingu.
- HereMeiji Jingu
- ~8 min
Marion Crepes Takeshita Dori Food
A long-running crepe chain, since 1976, at the entrance to Takeshita Street. Cream and fruit about ¥400 to ¥700, and versions with cake or ice cream over ¥800.
- ~10 min
Bread, Espresso & Cafe
A bakery and cafe known for their soft cube bread. The pastries sometimes sell out before closing.
- ~10 min
Yoyogi National Gymnasium More to see
A suspended-roof structure from 1964 designed by Kenzo Tange, built for the Tokyo Olympics and recognized as an Important Cultural Property. Visible from outside at any hour, and closed to the public except for events.
- ~12 min
Cat Street Street
Official name: the Former Shibuya River Promenade. The river flowed here until it was covered ahead of the 1964 Olympics, and above it today is a lane of fashion and vintage between Harajuku and Omotesando.
- ~12 min
Chicago Harajuku Clothes and crafts
A long-standing institution in Tokyo.
- ~15 min
Harajuku Gyoza Lou Food
A small institution in an alley near Cat Street. Six gyoza, fried or steamed, with or without garlic, about ¥340. Cash only, and open from 11:30.
More in Shibuya and Harajuku
Appears in: Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine: the first day in Tokyo