Meiji Jingu Shrine

Meiji Jingu Shrine, completed in 1920, honors the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who presided over Japan's transformation into a modern state. The shrine sits within a 70-hectare evergreen forest planted with 100,000 trees donated from across the country. Towering torii gates line the approach, the largest built from 1,500-year-old Japanese cypress. The forest absorbs city noise almost completely. The main shrine complex, rebuilt after World War II, follows the nagare-zukuri architectural style with its distinctive asymmetrical roof. Each new year, more than three million people visit for hatsumode. The adjacent Meiji Jingu Museum, designed by Kengo Kuma, holds personal effects and the imperial ceremonial carriage.