Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't Miss
The Gates
Towering
torii
(gates) mark the entrance to the shrine and sacred space. The
largest gate, created from a 1500-year-old Taiwanese cypress, stands 12 metres
high. Along the path you'll also see rows of decorative sake barrels - gifts to the
shrine (and a favourite of photographers).
The Font
Approaching the main shrine, the
temizuya
(font) is on the left. Shintō places a
premium on purity, so visitors perform a cleansing ritual. Use the dipper to pour
water over your left hand, then your right (without letting the water drip back into
the pool). Fill your left hand with water and rinse out your mouth. Rinse your left
hand a final time.
The Main Shrine
The main shrine is made of cypress from the Kiso region of Nagano. To make the
customary offering, toss a coin - five-yen coins are considered the luckiest - into
the box, bow twice, clap your hands twice, say a prayer if you like and bow again.
Clapping is said to attract the gods' attention.
Meiji-jingū-gyoen
Meiji-jingū-gyoen
( Inner Garden; admission ¥500; 9am-4.30pm)
is a landscaped
garden on the grounds of the shrine that once belonged to a feudal estate. When
the grounds passed into imperial hands, the emperor himself designed the iris
garden to please the empress. The entrance is on the right, about half-way down
the path to the main shrine.
