Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FESTIVALS AT MEIJI
JINGŪ
The most popular of the many festivals held at Meiji-jingū is
Hatsu-mōde
(literally, “first shrine
visit of the year”), held on January 1 and attracting three million visitors - tra
c lights are set
up within the shrine grounds to control the crowds on the day.
On
Seijin-no-hi
(Adults' Day), the second Monday in January, 20-year-olds attend the shrine
to celebrate their coming of age and to seek blessings from the gods; the women often dress
in elaborate long-sleeved kimono, with fur stoles wrapped around their necks, while
Meiji-jingū's gravel approach is lined with ice sculptures and there's a colourful display of
traditional
momoteshiki
archery by costumed archers.
From April 29 to May 3 and November 1 to 3,
bugaku
(court music and dances) are
performed on a stage erected in the shrine's main courtyard, while
Shichi-go-san-no-hi
(Seven-Five-Three Day), on November 15, provides an opportunity to see children of these
ages dressed in mini-kimono.
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as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The new incarnation, to a design by
the ubiquitous Zaha Hadid, will feature the futuristic play of silvery swoops.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
W
www.tef.or.jp
On the western side of the National Stadium - and best viewed from outside
Sendagaya station - is the Outer Garden's most striking feature, the
Tokyo Metropolitan
Gymnasium
, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Maki Fumihiko. At first the
building looks like a giant spacecraft, though on closer examination it becomes obvious
that the inspiration is a traditional samurai helmet. The corrugated stainless-steel-
roofed building houses the main arena, while to the right, crowned with a glass
pyramid roof, are public swimming pools and a subterranean gym. Unlike the main
stadium, this venue is not expected to change too greatly before the 2020 Games; it
will, in a bit of a fall from grace, host the table-tennis events alone.
Inner Garden
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• Harajuku or Meiji-Jingū-mae stations
he best approach to the
Inner Garden
is through the southern gate next to Jingū-bashi,
the bridge that crosses over from Harajuku's toytown-like station, complete with
mock-Tudor clock tower. From the gateway, a wide gravel path runs through densely
forested grounds to the 12m-high
Ō-torii
, the largest Myōjin-style gate in Japan, made
from 1500-year-old Taiwanese cypress pine trees.
Signed paths make it simple to push on a little further to the
Jingū Naien
, a highly
picturesque garden. From here, the gravel path turns right and passes through a second
wooden
torii
,
Kita-mon
(north gate), leading to the impressive
Honden
(central hall).
With their Japanese cypress wood and green copper roofs, the Honden and its
surrounding buildings are a fine example of how Shinto architecture can blend
seamlessly with nature. There are exits from the courtyard in front of the central hall;
alternatively, follow either of the paths northwards through the woods to arrive at
pleasant grassy slopes and a pond.
Jingū Naien
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• Daily 8.30am-5pm • ¥500
To the left of the Ō-torii is one entrance to the
Jingū Naien
, a traditional garden said to
have been designed by the Emperor Meiji for his wife; if this entrance is closed then
use the one a further ten minutes up the path. The garden is at its most beautiful in
June, when over one hundred varieties of
irises
, the empress's favourite flowers, pepper
the greenery with their purple and white blooms.
FROM TOP
SHIBUYA
P.115
; KITA
MON, MEIJI
JINGŪ >
