A lot of us could use a nice walk outside. There is nothing that will take your stress and anxiety away like walking away from the modern world for a bit. For those that can't go into nature right now, enjoy this walk I took with my wife recently through Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
Meiji Shrine is located in between Shinjuku & Shibuya stations, in the heart of Tokyo.
The shrine is dedicated to Emperor & Empress Meji who reformed and modernized Japan starting in the mid 1800's. It was built starting in 1915 and finished in 1921. The shrine sits inside a small forrest with gardens and small lakes surrounding it.
The main boulevard into shrine grounds is fairly devoid of human made objects until you reach the sake & wife offering display.
I still fondly remember the first time I walked through her 20 years ago. It has left a life long impression, a feeling of home & comfort, but I don't recall if these were the original barrels of alcohol I saw all those years ago.
Just beyond the barrels you will make a left through a large, cedar tori gate. One theme you will notice throughout this post is the simplicity & accenting properties of the stone, wood & metal with the surrounding forest.
A short walk past the tori gate you will make a right into the beginning of the shrine complex.
This is the purification spring you wouldnormally use, but due to COVID it was closed.
The final tori gate before entering the shrine. This one has a much cleaner appearance. Almost as if it has been lacquered to keep the elements form changing the color.
A worker busily headed somewhere.
Passing through the main gate you enter the large courtyard. I've always loved the lanterns immediately to the left that run the perimeter of the courtyard.
A view looking back of the main gate in and of the courtyard.
The trees in front of the main shrine. These two trees represent male & female. It's something I've been noticing in the Shinto shrines i've visited recently.
There is another tree on the right side of the shrine surrounded by a wall containing the wishes of visitors.
Looking at one of the exits. This one is on the right side. Usually we would go out the way we came in, but this time we decided to go out this way and see something new.
The gate doors were a treat for me.
About 7 foot tall cedar wood doors with some nice carvings as well as metal work. One thing I thought noticed was the 3 planks they used for the center of the door are not symmetrical. I found this to be very odd, but there must have been a reason for it.
Exiting the shrine looking back at the gates we just passed through.
And finally we return back to nature on the path back to the station.
It was a beautiful day, the weather was nice, but we thought it was strange how empty the shrine paths were. Thinking about it though, I usually see tourists here and maybe that is why the shrine was so empty. Tourism is still off limits in Japan. Maybe when things calm down the crowds will return.
If you are ever in Tokyo, Meiji Shrine is a beautiful place to seek peace & quite from the busy city surrounding it. Be sure to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health.
For more information on Meiji Shrine their website is here: https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/en/
Thanks for reading.
