Meiji Jingu
Step through the great torii gate opposite Harajuku Station and the noise of Tokyo vanishes into deep green — this is Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, consecrated on 1 November 1920, after the emperor's death. The 73-hectare precinct was once the Harajuku residence of the Hikone domain's Ii clan before becoming imperial land. The forest that feels primeval is entirely man-made: beginning in 1916, 100,000 seedlings donated from across Japan were planted by volunteers from youth associations nationwide. Year after year, Meiji Jingu draws more New Year worshippers than any other shrine in the country. Beyond the torii, each hall, gate, garden, and bridge has its own story — slow down and take them one by one.
Japan · 33 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Meiji Jingu Museum
Walk the main southern approach toward the main hall and a low, wide-eaved timber building opens up along the forest edge to your left — the Meiji Jingu Museum, opened on 26 October 2019 to mark the shrine's centenary, designed by architect Kengo Kuma. It replaced the older Treasure Hall (Homotsuden) on the hillside, which closed for seismic retrofitting, and now houses artefacts belonging to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. As the museum itself puts it, the space is devoted to 'cherishing Meiji-era court culture and displaying objects connected to the enshrined deities.' Kuma's signature horizontal lines keep the building low in the trees, so it inhabits the forest rather than competing with it.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu Imperial Garden
Turn off the main approach into this ticketed garden and the history underfoot predates the shrine itself. The Meiji Jingu Gyoen (also called the Yoyogi Imperial Garden), covering roughly 83,000 square metres, is the only part of the inner precinct where trees were growing before the shrine was founded. In the Edo period (1603–1868) it served as the residential garden of Kato Kiyomasa and later the Ii clan; during the Meiji era it came under the Imperial Household Agency. Both Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken were fond of the grounds. Teahouses, sheltered benches, a fishing platform, and an iris garden are scattered across the space, with a celebrated spring — Kiyomasa's Well — tucked at the far end. Open year-round, it offers a quiet escape from the crowded main approach.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall (Homotsuden)
This 1921 building in the style of the Shosoin log storehouse of Nara played a decisive role on the darkest night the shrine has known. Air raid sirens sounded on the night of 13 April 1945; incendiary bombs began to fall in the surrounding area in the early hours of the 14th. The priests on duty made the call to carry the御霊代 (mitamashiro, the sacred vessel of the enshrined spirit) out of the main hall, through the forest, and into the Treasure Hall as an emergency refuge. Shortly after the transfer was complete, the main hall caught fire at 1:40 a.m. on the 14th and burned until dawn, reduced to ash. Some objects from the main hall's inner sanctuary were also rescued and brought here at the same time.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Dedicated Sake Barrels
Walking the gravel of the southern approach, you'll notice a full wall of wooden racks on the right, stacked with some 125 straw-wrapped sake barrels from breweries across Japan — all voluntary offerings. In Shinto, sake is sacred: it mediates between humans and the divine in rituals, ceremonies, and offerings. Brewers dedicate barrels to Meiji Jingu both as an act of reverence toward the enshrined deities and as a continuation of the long tradition linking Japanese brewing with the gods. The display barrels are empty, kept here purely as an offering and a statement. Each label and calligraphy style is different — worth a slow look as you pass.
Sources: romantabi.com · overpass-api.de
Dedicated Wine Barrels
Beside the sake barrels sits a separate low row of oak casks — about sixty barrels of wine offered from Burgundy, France. A nearby sign explains: 'These wine barrels are dedicated from Burgundy, France, in connection with Emperor Meiji's custom of drinking wine for his health.' The tradition began in 2006, initiated by the Burgundy Trade Mission in Tokyo and local producers, with an initial gift of nineteen barrels that has grown year by year. Labels for prestigious producers — including Romanée-Conti — are visible on the casks, but like the sake barrels they are empty, kept here as a symbolic offering.
Sources: vegeage.jp · overpass-api.de · rekishidb.meijijingu.or.jp
Nagaden (Long Hall)
The nagaden near the outer cloister of Meiji Jingu's main hall is where visitors can recei… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: alexrockinjapan.com · ja.wikipedia.org
Kyakuden (Guest Hall)
Near the South Main Gate, the kyakuden (Guest Hall) is Meiji Jingu's dedicated reception s… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: jinjabukkaku-arekore.com
Temizuya (Purification Fountain)
Before passing through the South Main Gate, visitors use wooden ladles here to rinse their… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: online.bunka.go.jp · online.bunka.go.jp · ja.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu Great Torii Gate
The great torii at the entrance to the southern approach is built from hinoki cypress logg… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Main Hall Complex
The design of Meiji Jingu's main hall was not inherited from any existing shrine — it was… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu Outer Garden (Gaien)
The Meiji Jingu Outer Garden (Gaien) is a different kind of place from the inner forest —… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Chinju no Mori (Sacred Grove)
The forest you are walking through is entirely artificial — before the shrine was built, t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu — 36 Designated Structures
On 23 December 2020, 36 buildings at Meiji Jingu were collectively designated as nationall… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Main Hall (Honden)
The honden (main hall) is the highest-ranking building in the complex and the place where… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Inner Oratory and Norito Hall (Naiheiden and Noritsunoden)
The inner oratory (naiheiden) and norito hall (noritsunoden), standing immediately in fron… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Inner Precinct Connecting Corridor (Naiin Watariro)
The naiin watariro is a roofed corridor linking the buildings of the inner precinct (naiin… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Outer Oratory (Sotoheiden)
The outer oratory (sotoheiden) is the place where ordinary visitors join their hands in wo… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Repository (Hoko)
The underground repository (hoko) normally serves as the shrine's secure storage vault, bu… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Inner Lattice Fence and North Gate (Naitsuki-bei and Kitamon)
The naitsuki-bei (inner lattice fence) and its north gate enclose the inner precinct (naii… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Shinsen-sho and Connecting Corridor (Kitchen and Watariro)
The shinsen-sho (sacred food preparation kitchen) and its connecting corridor are where sh… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
North Cloister (Kita Kairō)
The north cloister is a roofed corridor running along the north side of the inner precinct… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
North Main Gate (Kita Shinmon)
The North Main Gate is the timber gate on the north side of Meiji Jingu's inner precinct… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: online.bunka.go.jp
Outer Precinct Cloister (Gaiin Kairō)
The outer precinct cloister (gaiin kairō) is the roofed colonnade enclosing the outer prec… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
East Main Gate (Higashi Shinmon)
The East Main Gate is a four-post timber gate (shikkyakumon) in the kirizuma-zukuri (gable… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · hineriman.work
West Main Gate (Nishi Shinmon)
The West Main Gate is a four-post timber gate (shikkyakumon) in the kirizuma-zukuri (gable… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · hineriman.work
South Main Gate (Minami Shinmon)
The South Main Gate is the main entrance from the southern approach into the outer precinc… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Sacred Bridge (Shinkyo)
The sacred bridge (shinkyo) sits on the southern approach, just beyond the torii. Visually… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall — 13 Designated Structures (Homotsuden)
The thirteen buildings of the Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall (Homotsuden) are a landmark of Tai… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
East-West Corridor (Tozai-ro)
The east-west corridor (tozai-ro) is a roofed passage running east-west within the Treasur… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
East-West Bridge Corridor (Tozai Hakeiro)
The east-west bridge corridor (tozai hakeiro) is a bridged covered walkway linking the bui… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
East-West Connecting Corridor (Tozai Watariro)
The east-west connecting corridor (tozai watariro) is another transitional covered walkway… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Main Gate of the Treasure Hall (Seimon)
This gate is the formal entrance to the Treasure Hall (Homotsuden) precinct, designed by s… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: online.bunka.go.jp
Tachi Sword, Signed 'Sukeshige'
The tachi (long sword) signed 'Sukeshige' was once among Meiji Jingu's Important Cultural… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Meiji Jingu?
Meiji Jingu Museum, Meiji Jingu Imperial Garden, Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall (Homotsuden) and more — 33 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Meiji Jingu guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 28 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).