By far the most popular and known Shrine in Tokyo. Just behind the Harajuku Train station and in the center of Tokyo, the Meiji Jingu Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji who died in 1912. Meiji Jingu is a real beauty, not only the shrine is fantastic but it also hides a really nice park where you can enjoy a peaceful walk and even take a rest.

Very popular among Japanese and foreigners, the Meiji Jingu Shrine is also a place where many Japanese get married, and actually the first time I visited this Shrine was for the wedding of a very close friend, this was really a magical moment, and we were very lucky that this wedding took place late in the afternoon, the perfect moment to enjoy the Shrine and its park without being too much disturb by tourist.

Now, to be honest with you, the Meji Jingu Shrine in the morning or during the early afternoon is full of tourist and almost looks like a “Factory”. As you will see on the video, it is also important to notice that the park Security is really a pain and the most unfriendly/polite people I ever seen in Japan.

Sure there are rules to respect in such a place but you will have a hard time to find them anywhere written and don’t bother ask the park Security for a list they will not even bother replying to you, but one thing for sure, if you are planning to use a Tripod, even a tiny compact one you’d better hide it well (This explain why the last portion of the video is quite shaky).

Bottom line, The Meiji Jingu is really a beautiful place but just make sure to visit it when they are closing it, the Shrine will be empty and the security staff will too busy to check the park for lost tourist to even start bothering you if you when visiting the center of the Shrine.

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