Meiji Jingu

The forest is the remarkable thing. When the shrine was built in 1920 the site was largely bare ground, and rather than plant a garden the designers - led by the forestry scientists Honda Seiroku, Hongo Takanori and Uehara Keiji - planned a self-sustaining broadleaf woodland that would need no maintenance and would look like primeval forest within a century. About a hundred thousand trees of 365 species were donated from across the empire and planted by volunteers. The plan worked: the seventy hectares now behind the wooden torii are dense, dark and self-seeding, and the species mix has shifted towards the climax forest the designers predicted. The shrine itself, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, was rebuilt in 1958 after wartime destruction. The gravel approach under the torii is wide and quiet, and it is a working shrine with weddings most weekends.

History

After the emperor's death in 1912 the Diet resolved to commemorate him, and an iris garden that Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had visited was chosen as the site. Building began in 1915 under Itō Chūta as a national project, with youth groups and civic associations across Japan giving labour and money; the shrine was dedicated on 3 November 1920, finished in 1921, and its grounds were completed by 1926 (Wikipedia, Meiji Shrine).

What's there

• A designed forest - a hundred thousand donated trees planted from bare ground in 1920.
• A century-long plan - designed to become self-sustaining climax woodland, and it did.
• The wooden torii - large cypress gates on the gravel approach.
• Weddings - Shinto processions crossing the courtyard most weekends.

When to go

All year; early morning for quiet, New Year for the largest crowds in Japan. Two hours.

Before you go

The approach is long gravel and the walk in takes fifteen minutes each way. The buildings are post-war reconstructions rather than 1920 originals. New Year brings millions and queues of hours. The inner garden and museum are separate charges.

Nearby

Harajuku and Takeshita Street are beside the station; Shibuya is south.

Key facts