Day 7 – Meiji Shrine

“Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū?), located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.[1] When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shōken in 1914, the Japanese people wished to pay their respects to the two influential Japanese figures. It was for this reason that Meiji Shrine was constructed and their souls enshrined on November 1, 1920.”1

I found this to be one of the nicest traditional sites I visited.  Entering the site you walk through the huge gate and into a cathedral of old growth trees framing a long procession to the shrine.  It rather cleansed my mind of the surrounding dense urbanity and preparet my minset for something interospective and esoteric.  The temple itself was modest, but a lovely oasis within the city.

08

10 2009