---
node: spot_tokyo_meiji_shrine
type: spot
slug: meiji_shrine
destination: dest_tokyo
title: "Meiji Shrine"
lead: "Meiji Shrine stands in a forest of a hundred thousand trees beside Harajuku, planted from donations in 1920 and left to grow wild ever since. The whole wood was made by hand and is now indistinguishable from one that was always there."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_tokyo_meiji_shrine.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courtyard_of_Meiji_Shrine_20190717.jpg"
image_author: "Tokuzo in Edomura"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The shrine enshrines the Meiji Emperor and Empress Shōken, and the forest was designed by foresters who planned a succession of species over 150 years so that it would eventually need no maintenance. The buildings were destroyed by bombing in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958 with public subscription. Wedding processions cross the main courtyard most weekend mornings, and the sake barrels stacked along the approach are offerings from brewers across the country.

## Highlights

Enter by the southern torii from Harajuku and walk the gravel avenue slowly; the point of the shrine is the approach through the trees, not the hall at the end. The inner garden with its iris field is a separate small fee and is at its best in mid-June. Go before nine, when the forest is quiet and the light comes through sideways.