Meiji Jingu

Meiji Jingu is a major Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who reigned during Japan's rapid modernisation in the late nineteenth century. The shrine was completed in 1920 and rebuilt in 1958 after the original buildings were destroyed in the war. It stands inside around 70 hectares of forest that was planted by hand when the shrine was built, using trees donated from across Japan, and a century later the woods feel surprisingly wild for a site beside one of the busiest stations in Tokyo.

The approach is the main pleasure of a visit. Broad gravel paths lead under towering wooden torii gates and past a wall of decorated sake barrels donated by brewers, with a matching display of French wine barrels opposite. At the main sanctuary you can make an offering, buy an amulet or write a wish on a wooden ema plaque. The modern Meiji Jingu Museum near the southern approach displays objects connected with the emperor and empress, and it charges a separate fee.

Entry to the shrine is free and it is open every day from sunrise to sunset, so times change through the year: the shrine lists opening at 5:40 and closing at 16:40 in October, for example, and 6:10 to 16:10 in November. Some facilities inside keep shorter hours, mainly 9:00 to 16:00. Weekend mornings often bring traditional wedding processions crossing the courtyard, which visitors are welcome to watch quietly. New Year is the busiest period of all, when millions of people come for the first prayers of the year.

It suits anyone wanting a calm break from the city, and the paths are flat and wide, though gravel can be heavy going with a pushchair or wheelchair. Allow an hour to walk in, see the main shrine and walk out, or longer if you add the museum. Follow the usual shrine etiquette: bow at the torii, rinse your hands at the water pavilion and keep voices low near the sanctuary.

The south entrance is a short walk from JR Harajuku Station and Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, and the north side is reachable from Yoyogi Station. Takeshita Street and the shops of Omotesando are just outside the south gate, and Yoyogi Park lies next door for a picnic.