Meiji Shrine

18 Photos

14 Reviews | Add review

Address: 1-1, Kamizono-chō, Tokyo
Hours: Open Daily, hours change every month.
Admission: Shrine admission free. Other attractions within may have admission fees

ATTRACTION Keywords:
Cultural Experience, Holy Place, Popular with Locals, Religious Experience, Shrine

4:57 AM Friday, May 24
Clear. Mild.
7 day forecast

The Meiji Shrine is the most important and popular Shinto shrine in Tokyo. It was dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shōken in 1926. The shrine is made up of buildings of worship, forests, and gardens.

Each tree in the Meiji Forest was planted by a different Japanese citizen wanting to pay his respects to the Emperor. Meiji is thought of as the man who helped modernize Japan, and though the shrine was originally bombed in WWII, public donation restored the building and its grounds in 1958.

The entrance gates are made up of 1,700 year old cypress trees, leading to the inner and outer garden of the Meiji Shrine; the inner garden has over one hundred varieties of irises. Then, off a gravel path is the shrine's main hall. Built of cypress wood and topped with copper roofs, it is where prayers for the Emperor and Empress are recited. Finally, in the outer garden is one of the most popular attractions: the Meiji Memorial Hall, which houses over 80 murals dedicated to the Emperor.

Latest Reviews

Add review

All Meiji Shrine Reviews

Review by Graham, Australia, September 2011
Doing what: Tokyo Morning Tour: Meiji Shrine, Senso-ji Temple and Ginza Shopping District

What a wonderful tour. Our guide Mai was superb. Meiji Shrine was beautiful, as were the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Loved the Senso-ji Temple and then being given some time to shop for souveneers. I've previously done the Dynamic Tokyo full day tour and this half day tour showed me different things. I was with 3 young children so the half day tour was an ideal length for children. Mai was just the best tour guide! She gave a wonderful insight into Japan. The tour was so well organised and efficient. Thanks for a great experience.

Report problem

Review by Anonymous, July 2010
Doing what: Panoramic Tokyo Day Tour - Meiji Shrine, Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Bay Cruise

Our family my husband and I with two teenage daughters enjoyed the Tokyo Day Tour. Tokyo is such a big city, much bigger and spread out than I expected so the tour was great to situate us as far as how the city is laid out. The tour with the hotel pick up was great so we didn't have to try to figure out how to get from point A to B on our first day in Tokyo. Our tour guide Mei-san had fantastic English and a great sense of humor. The tour took us to historical sites with commentary when we pass through some important modern buildings. We were able to see a traditional Japanese wedding at the Meiji Shento Shrine which was really interesting. The Asakusa Temple is fun for the busy shopping streets in front. The western style lunch was so so since we would prefer Japanese lunch boxes however, the view from the top of the little hotel was very pretty. The after lunch cruise was very relaxing especially on that extremely hot day. We enjoyed our last stop at the Japanese version of the 1 store which was amazing since we found everything in Japan to be too expense. Overall, this is a great tour for anyone visiting Tokyo for the first time - we didn't have to worroy about anything and just get on and off the bus and learn from Mei-San.

Report problem

Review by Anonymous, July 2009
Doing what: Panoramic Tokyo Day Tour - Meiji Shrine, Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Bay Cruise

Fantastic tour and guide. Wonderful lunch at picturesque restaurant. Well worth doing. Meiji Shrine and boat cruise around Tokyo harbour were nice.

Report problem

Practical Info

The easiest way to get to the Meiji Shrine is by subway. It is a few steps away from the Harajuku and Meiji-jingu-mae Station.

Remember this is a sacred place and there are rules of etiquette when visiting the Temple.

Explore map