Meiji Shrine, the day I walked 30 minutes into the forest from the heart of Harajuku — Yoyogi, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo

Tokyo's Harajuku Station was crowded as always. Standing on the overpass and looking down, a black bus marked "Adidas Runners Tokyo" was parked on the side of the street, and in th…

Tokyo · Meiji Shrine

Tokyo's Harajuku Station was crowded as always. Standing on the overpass and looking down, a black bus marked "Adidas Runners Tokyo" was parked on the side of the street, and in the plaza toward Yoyogi Park, people were half sitting and half walking. Right next to this noise is the entrance to Meiji Shrine (明治神宮). It's a 3-minute walk away, but once you pass through one torii gate, the sound cuts off completely. This is where first-time visitors are most shocked.

A road viewed from the overpass with the plaza at the Yoyogi Park entrance, white minivans lined along the side of the road, and a black bus with crowds of people
The road right next to the shrine entrance. This ordinary urban landscape, even with lane arrows visible, is just one shrine wall away.
Crowds filling the circular plaza in front of Yoyogi Park as seen from the overpass, with a black Adidas Runners Tokyo bus parked
In front of Yoyogi Park on a weekend afternoon. Mysteriously, this crowd disperses once you enter the shrine's approach path.

Once You Pass the First Torii Gate, the Sound Changes

The large wooden torii gate at the entrance to the South Approach (南参道) was much thicker than it looked in photographs. When I touched the pillars, the wood grain was split vertically, and three golden chrysanthemum crests were embedded in the center of the crossbeam. On a wooden plaque to the right was handwritten in brush: "四月十二日 昭憲皇太后祭 午前十時". I liked that this guidance wasn't printed material but hand-written on a wooden plaque.

A massive wooden torii gate surrounded by forest with stone lanterns on both sides and tourists taking photos in front of the torii
The large torii gate at the entrance of the South Approach. The ceremony schedule is handwritten in brush on the wooden plaque to the right.
Afternoon sun shining on the wooden torii gate below with many people passing through and stone lanterns on either side, dense forest in the background
The same torii gate photographed from a distance. Even with this many people, they quickly scatter once you enter inside.

The approach path isn't asphalt but coarse gravel. Walking on it with sneakers makes a crunching sound, and when this sound overlaps from all directions, it actually drowns out city noise. There's a separate brick path along the edge, so people pushing strollers or carrying luggage walk along that. There was a family with a dog dressed in red clothes, and everyone walked slowly. No one hurried here.

A wide gravel approach path with tall trees on both sides, people walking along the brick path on the edge, and a dog in red clothes
The gravel approach path. The brick path on the left is for strollers and luggage.

Leaving a Forest Like This in the City

Walking, I looked up until my neck hurt. The sky was visible in fragments between branches, and evergreens and leafless branches mixed in one frame. This is Shibuya Ward. A few subway stops away is Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and beyond the wall is Harajuku's Takeshita Street. But inside here smells like a forest. The scent of soil and wet fallen leaves. I kept thinking how envious I was. Could land like this have remained in the heart of downtown Seoul? According to a signpost, this forest was artificially created in 1920 when the shrine was established, by planting donated trees from across the country. After a hundred years, it's even more amazing how it looks like a natural forest.

Looking up from below at tree canopies with blue sky and white clouds visible between the branches
Looking up from the approach path. It's hard to believe this location is Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
A wooden lantern standing between trees viewed from below, with latticed windows and white trim beneath the eaves
A lantern beside the approach path. A wooden roof sits on stone pillars, and the latticed windows are frosted glass.

Looking from the railing of the bridge in the middle of the approach path (Namji Bridge), a small stream flows below. It's about 2 meters wide, with moss-covered rocks and young maple branches draped over the water, and fallen leaves covering the bottom. Most people just pass by. If you stand here for just a minute, you hear the sound of water.

Looking down from the bridge at a forest stream with moss-covered rocks, maple branches, and fallen leaves on the water bottom
The stream below the bridge on the approach path. I recommend leaning on the railing and standing for a moment.

The Section Where Sake Barrels and Wine Barrels Face Each Other

As you walk, you suddenly come upon sections where straw-wrapped barrels are stacked like a wall. These are votive sake barrels called komozaru (菰樽). Brand names are written in large brush strokes on white backgrounds, with names like 白菊, 新政, 横笛, 眞澄, and 開運 in succession. While these aren't actually filled with alcohol, sake breweries throughout the country donate them annually, so the name tags change constantly, they say.

Straw-wrapped sake barrels stacked like a wall on a display stand for votive barrels, with tourists taking photos
The komozaru wall on the right side of the approach path. The length is considerable, so you can't see the end.
Close-up of sake barrels with brewery names such as 白菊·新政·横笛·開運 and others written and illustrated in brush strokes
Looking closely, each barrel has different illustrations. The one with a picture of an old man drinking alcohol, '副将軍', stood out.
A bilingual information sign next to the sake barrels reading 'Barrels of Sake Wrapped in Straw' in Japanese and English
There's an English information sign. The National Association of Shinto Shrines for Sake Breweries (全国酒造敬神会) donates them annually.

On the opposite side of the path, Burgundy wine barrels are stacked in three tiers. With a single gold nameplate embedded on the front of each wooden barrel, they create a completely different impression from the sake barrels. French wineries donated them in the context of Emperor Meiji actively embracing Western culture. The very composition of positioning sake and wine barrels facing each other explains the character of this shrine.

French Burgundy oak wine barrels stacked in three tiers under a roof with gold nameplates, a man taking photos in front
The Burgundy wine barrels across from the sake barrels. Surprisingly few people see them side by side.

Location and Access — Choose the Harajuku Station Exit Carefully

If you exit from the west exit of JR Yamanote Line's Harajuku Station, the entrance to the South Approach is right there. If you use Meiji Jingu-mae Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, Exit 2 is closest. However, from the torii gate to the main hall is roughly 10-15 minutes on foot, and since it's a gravel path, it feels longer. It's best to avoid shoes with heels. When I walked around, including viewing the forest, I spent about two and a half hours round trip. Opening times are based on sunrise and closing times on sunset, changing monthly, so I recommend checking official information before visiting.

Beyond the Third Torii Gate, to the Front of the Main Hall

The inner torii gate is a different color from the outer one. It's relatively new wood, a light apricot color, so it stands out particularly bright in the forest's shadow. Once you pass through this torii gate, the density of worshippers suddenly increases. There's a white tent beside it and signs stretched in a line.

The light-colored third torii gate with worshippers passing beneath it, a wooden building visible beyond, and a white tent
The torii gate inside the shrine grounds. It's much brighter in color than the outer torii gate.
The light-colored torii gate under clear sky with many people passing around it, a wooden corridor visible on the right
The same torii gate from a different angle. From this point on, people suddenly gather.
Inner courtyard of the shrine grounds with a torii gate and wooden buildings, people passing beneath a large camphor tree
The inner courtyard beyond the torii gate. In the background to the right, Shinjuku's high-rise buildings are slightly visible.

Temizu-ya — You Wash Your Hands Here

Before entering the gate, there's a temizu-ya (手水舎) on the left. Water drips in two streams from a thick bamboo pipe, and wooden ladles hang neatly on a granite basin. I captured both the early morning scene before crowds gathered and the scene of people lined up washing their hands. The procedure is: scoop with your right hand and wash your left, switch and wash your right, then scoop again with your right hand to rinse your mouth, and finally stand the ladle and wash its handle. The water was so cold that even in early March, your hands tingled.

A granite temizu-ya basin with water dripping from a bamboo pipe, wooden ladles neatly hanging on a wooden stand
The temizu-ya when empty. The moment the ladles are arranged like this doesn't last long.
Worshippers at the temizu-ya scooping water with ladles to wash their hands, water streaming from the bamboo pipe
This is how it looks during the day. The water is so cold that your hands tingle, even in March.

Minami-shinmon, and the Courtyard in Front of the Main Hall

The gate to the main hall (Minami-shinmon) is a two-story gate tower. Beneath the eaves, the bracket arms are layered on top of each other, and white metal fittings are regularly embedded, creating a pattern-like appearance from a distance. Metal chrysanthemum ornaments hang from the center of the gate doors. The threshold is quite high, so everyone lifts their feet high once.

A wooden gate with red roof and impressive layered bracket arms, with the inner courtyard and people visible beyond the open gate
The courtyard is visible beyond the gate. The metal chrysanthemum ornaments on the gate doors stand out.
Worshippers climbing granite steps in front of the gate, with no photography and no smoking signs posted on the right
No photography and no smoking signs are posted beside the steps. Photography is restricted in certain areas inside.
Full view of the Minami-shinmon two-story gate tower with layered eaves and bracket structure, cherry blossoms blooming to the left in the background
Full view of the Minami-shinmon in the style of a two-story gate tower, showing the layered eaves and bracket structure, with cherry blossoms blooming in the background to the left.

Beyond the gate, a bright granite courtyard spreads out widely. With no shade, it's bright enough to hurt your eyes even in spring sunlight. Above the main hall's roof on the far side of the courtyard, a white communications tower juts out—the NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building in Shinjuku. The scene of a hundred-year-old wooden building and a communications tower spire fitting into one frame best summarizes this shrine.

A wide granite courtyard with a wooden gate in the background, a formally dressed man and tourists walking across the courtyard
The courtyard in front of the main hall. With no shade, you need to be prepared for summer heat.
The white NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building spire rising behind the main hall's roof, with worshippers filling the courtyard
The white NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building spire rising behind the main hall's roof.

The front of the main hall is densely studded with gold ornaments beneath the eaves, so it glitters when hit by sunlight. In front of the offering box at the top of the steps, people line up sideways to perform nirei-nishakusho-ichrei (two bows, two claps, one bow). Because the line spreads left and right rather than front and back, the rotation is faster than expected. After waiting about 10 minutes, it's your turn.

The front of the main hall with densely packed gold ornaments beneath the eaves and thick wooden pillars, with a line of worshippers stretched along the steps
The front of the main hall. Gold ornaments beneath the eaves glitter in the sunlight.
Worshippers lined up left and right on the steps in front of the main hall facing the offering box
Worshippers lined up left and right on the steps in front of the main hall, facing the offering box. The line spreads left and right, so the rotation is faster. I waited about 10 minutes.

In Front of the Husband-and-Wife Camphor Trees — Where People Linger

On one side of the courtyard, two large camphor trees stand side by side. The two trees are tied together with a sacred rope (shimenawa) and white paper (shide) and straw ornaments hang from it, swaying in the wind. These are the husband-and-wife camphor trees called Meoto-kusu (夫婦楠). The ground is thickly carpeted with fallen leaves, so each step was soft. Everyone takes photos here for quite a while.

Two large camphor trees connected by a sacred rope with thick fallen leaves on the ground, a red-roofed wooden corridor in the background
The husband-and-wife camphor trees connected by a sacred rope. Fallen leaves are thickly carpeted, making it soft when stepped on.

Ema and Omamori — Prices As Shown in the Photo

The ema hanging stands beneath the tree were densely covered with writing. Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and English were mixed together. Sentences like "I pray for a successful career", "academic progress", and "May everyone in the family be healthy" were written with dates and signatures, with a red shrine stamp on each plaque. I felt uncertain about openly reading other people's wishes, yet I kept looking.

Densely packed wooden ema plaques with wishes written in multiple languages and red shrine stamps
The ema hanging stand. English, Chinese, and Thai are mixed throughout.

Above the blessing counter hangs a large banner with a list of omamori types and prices on one sheet. Copying from the photo, Heart and Body Harmony Blessing (心身健全守), Academic Achievement (学業成就), Matchmaking Blessing (縁結御守), and Fortune Blessing (福守) are 800 yen, Harmony Blessing (相和守), some Traffic Safety Blessings (交通安全御守), and Travel Safety Blessing (旅行安全御守) are 1,000 yen, Healing Blessing (病気平癒守) and Safe Childbirth Blessing (安産守) are 1,500 yen, and Divine Talismans (神符) and Home Harmony/Business Prosperity series (家内安全·商売繁昌) are in the 1,000-3,000 yen range. There are also 300 yen and 500 yen blessing cards (守札). However, this is based on the banner at the time of my visit, and prices may change, so I recommend checking on-site. As a note, there's a no-photography sign below this banner—it's best to refrain from photographing toward the blessing counter inside.

A large banner listing omamori types and prices in Japanese and English, with a no-photography sign below
The omamori guidance banner above the blessing counter. English explanations are also posted.

A Shinto Wedding Ceremony I Happened Upon, and That Black Retro Automobile

The real treasure of the day wasn't planned. In front of a corridor on one side of the courtyard, a bride in a white shiromuku wearing a wataboshi was talking with a groom in haori-hakama, and an elderly woman in a yellow kimono. Mixed in among the groups of tourists, I initially thought it was a photo shoot. It was an actual wedding ceremony.

A groom in haori-hakama and a bride in white shiromuku talking with an elderly woman in yellow kimono in front of a corridor
The groom and bride in front of the corridor. They were simply mixed in among the tourists.

Shortly after, a procession led by a red umbrella (sashikakegasa) emerged from the gate direction. A white-uniformed Shinto priest led the way, followed by a shrine maiden in white top and red hakama. Behind them, guests in formal wear and kimonos lined up, and beside them stood a yellow flag reading '御祈願祭'. Everyone stopped and watched, but no one blocked the way. The sense of distance was good.

A procession led by a red umbrella with a Shinto priest and shrine maiden, followed by guests in formal wear and kimonos in a long line, with a yellow 御祈願祭 flag beside them
The procession led by the red umbrella. The yellow flag on the left reads '御祈願祭'.

In the gravel courtyard deeper in the forest, group photography was in full swing. A red carpet was spread, and while the photographer raised their hand to direct attention, dozens of guests stood in three or four rows. The bride in white sat in the center of the front row, flanked alternately by men in black formal wear and women in elaborate kimonos. Even lighting cases and mobile carts were visible on the ground, showing the entire preparation process.

Dozens of guests in multiple rows standing on a red-carpeted gravel courtyard backed by the forest for a group photo, with the bride in white in the center of the front row
Dozens of guests in multiple rows standing on a red-carpeted gravel courtyard backed by the forest for a group photo, with the bride in white in the center of the front row.
Staff preparing for photography with tripods and equipment on the gravel courtyard under the trees, with the bride's group seated in chairs
Staff preparing for photography with tripods and equipment on the gravel courtyard under the trees, with the bride's group seated in chairs.

What caught my eye most was the car. After the photo shoot, the car the bride rode in was a black London taxi-style classic sedan. The rear door was tilted open, and a white-gloved driver knelt while holding the step. The bride in shiromuku placed her foot on the black step, and a woman in kimono beside her supported her train. Round headlights, a vertically elongated body, silver wheel caps. I never thought I'd see, so close up, a bride dressed in hundred-year-old clothing boarding a hundred-year-old style car in the shrine forest in the middle of Tokyo. My hands were slightly trembling as I pressed the shutter a few times.

A white-gloved driver kneeling to hold the step as a bride in shiromuku boards a black retro London taxi-style car, with a woman in kimono assisting with her train
The highlight of the day. The black classic sedan, the white-gloved driver, and the shiromuku.

Families in Kimono — Not Just Weddings

In front of the corridor, a woman in a pink kimono was adjusting a child's haori. The child was dressed formally in navy with a crane pattern. A short distance away, a very small girl in a red kimono stood holding an adult's hand. It appeared to be a Shichi-go-san shrine visit. The scene of just this small group remaining in the empty granite courtyard stayed oddly long in my memory.

In front of the corridor, a woman in a pink kimono adjusting the clothing of a child in navy haori
In front of the corridor, a woman in a pink kimono adjusting the clothing of a child in navy haori.
Families in kimono standing in front of the corridor across the wide granite courtyard, with a small girl in red kimono at the far left
Families in kimono standing in front of the corridor across the wide granite courtyard, with a small girl in red kimono at the far left.

Things to Note on the Way Out

When I left, as soon as I passed the first torii gate again, the sounds of Harajuku returned in full. Traffic light sounds, people laughing, bus engines. I turned around once. Inside the torii gate was still forest. For a hundred years, this city has not reversed the decision to leave nearly one million square meters of land as forest in the heart of the city.

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