ABOUT
About this spot
Meiji Jingu stands in Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, and enshrines Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Although it is right next to Harajuku and Yoyogi stations, its grounds hold a forest of about 70 hectares (700,000 square metres) that quickly leaves the city noise behind. It is usually the most visited shrine in Japan at New Year. Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914. A public wish to honour them led to the founding of the shrine being announced on 1 May 1915, and it was established on 1 November 1920. In the early Edo period the site held a villa of the Kato family, and from 1640 it was the Edo residence of the Ii family of Hikone Domain. The forest is man-made, planted with about 100,000 trees donated from across Japan, mainly broadleaf trees such as oaks, chinquapins and camphors, and designed to resemble a natural forest after about a century. The main buildings were destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958. In December 2020, 36 shrine buildings were designated Important Cultural Properties. Highlights include the great torii (the second torii) where the south and north approaches meet, said to be the largest wooden myojin torii in Japan; the Inner Garden, with the Kakuuntei pavilion, the iris field (at its best in June) and Kiyomasa's Well, said to have been dug by Kato Kiyomasa; and the Meiji Jingu Museum, designed by Kengo Kuma and opened in 2019. There are also a lawn and a cafe for a rest after worship. Go early in the morning for quiet. Opening and closing times change every month with sunrise and sunset, so check the official website. It takes about 10 minutes on foot from each entrance to the main hall, and about two hours if you also see the garden and museum. Omotesando, the avenue that runs out from the south approach, is nearby. The Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery in the Meiji Jingu Outer Garden is also an Important Cultural Property.
Last updated October 18, 2026