Shrine · Harajuku

Meiji Jingu 明治神宮

A hushed 70-hectare forest shrine steps from Harajuku, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, enormous cypress torii, a wall of sake barrels and, on lucky days, a traditional wedding procession.

About

Completed in 1920 and rebuilt in 1958, Meiji Jingu sits inside a man-made forest of around 100,000 trees donated from across Japan and the world, now so mature it feels primeval. A broad gravel path leads under the Ohtorii, one of Japan's largest wooden torii, made from 1,500-year-old Taiwanese cypress, past a display of decorated sake barrels facing a row of Burgundy wine casks gifted from France, to the austere copper-roofed main sanctuary. On weekends you will often see Shinto weddings crossing the courtyard in a slow procession of red parasols and white hoods. The paid Inner Garden (Gyoen) holds Kiyomasa's Well and an iris garden that peaks in June, and the Meiji Jingu Museum by Kengo Kuma displays imperial carriages. Hatsumode (New Year visits) here draws over three million people, the most in Japan.

Highlights

• Ohtorii: 12 m wooden torii of ancient Taiwanese cypress
• Wall of sake barrels opposite Burgundy wine casks gifted from France
• Shinto wedding processions on weekend mornings
• Twin camphor 'Meoto Kusu' trees, a symbol of happy marriage
• Inner Garden's iris field, peaking in mid-June
• Kengo Kuma–designed Meiji Jingu Museum

Tips

• Enter from the Harajuku/Jingumae side and exit via Yoyogi or Sangubashi to skip retracing the long gravel path.
• Hours follow sunrise and sunset and change monthly, arrive at opening for mist in the forest and an empty courtyard.
• Write a wish on an ema plaque (around ¥1,000); many are in English and fun to read.
• Avoid 1–3 January unless you want to queue for hours; weekends in November bring Shichi-Go-San children in kimono.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Harajuku Tourist Information CenterTourist Info · 620 m away
• Takeshita StreetShopping Street · 640 m away
• Yoyogi ParkPark · 660 m away
• Harajuku StationTransit Hub · 750 m away
• Harajuku Station · Coin Lockers (new station building)Luggage Storage · 750 m away
• Marion Crêpes HarajukuCafé & Sweets · 760 m away
• Meiji Jingu MuseumMuseum · 770 m away
• @cosme TOKYOUnique Store · 770 m away