Accueil/Préfecture de Tokyo/Harajuku/Sanctuaire Meiji

Sanctuaire Meiji

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Meiji ShrineShintoforestHarajukutraditional

Photo: kanesue / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · original

A deux pas de Harajuku et de Shibuya s'ouvre une foret de 70 hectares qui semble d'une autre dimension : 120 000 arbres offerts de tout le Japon forment une canopee dense qui isole du bruit urbain en quelques metres. Le sanctuaire Meiji, dedie a l'empereur Meiji et a l'imperatrice Shoken, a ete inaugure en 1920 et est le sanctuaire shinto le plus visite du Japon au Nouvel An (plus de trois millions de personnes en trois jours).

Le torii en bois de cypres de 12 metres de haut marque l'entree vers un espace de silence inattendu. C'est le contraste parfait avec le Tokyo des neons : une matinee ici et un apres-midi a Shibuya resument les deux visages de la capitale.

Our angle on Sanctuaire Meiji

Nobody else is going here

Everyone within a mile of Sanctuaire Meiji is going to Sanctuaire Meiji. Here are 4 places within 21km of it that almost nobody writes about — straight-line distances from our own catalogue, not travel times.

Informations essentielles

Horaires d'ouverture

Varies by venue — confirm before visiting

Fermé: Open year-round

Tarif d'entrée

Gratuit

Meilleure saison

Toute l'annee | Nouvel An pour l'experience du hatsumode

Durée de visite

1 – 1,5 heure

Comment s'y rendre

Informations d'accès

Entree principale a 1 minute de la gare JR Harajuku ou de la sortie Meiji-jingumae du metro. Horaires : de l'aube au coucher du soleil (variable selon la saison). Entree gratuite.

Guide d'initié

Optimal visit time: Early morning (6:00-8:00 summer, 7:00-9:00 winter) offers solitude and soft light filtering through forest canopy. The shrine sees 3 million visitors annually, making mornings essential for contemplative experience. Weekday mornings are quieter than weekends. Avoid New Year (Jan 1-3) when the shrine receives 3 million visitors in 72 hours — the most-visited shrine in Japan during hatsumode (first shrine visit).

Wedding observations: Shinto weddings occur most weekends (spring and autumn peak seasons). The processions depart from the waiting area near the main hall around 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00. The bride wears white shiromuku with a white hood (tsunokakushi), the groom wears black montsuki kimono. Photography of the procession is permitted from a respectful distance — don't block the path or use flash.

Omikuji and ema: The shrine sells omikuji (おみくじ, fortune slips, ¥100) and ema (絵馬, wooden prayer plaques, ¥500). Omikuji are selected at random — if the fortune is bad (末吉 or 凶), tie it to the designated rack to leave the bad luck behind. Ema are written with wishes and hung at the shrine — common wishes include health, success, love. English translations available at the counter.

Inner Garden: The Meiji Jingu Inner Garden (御苑, Gyoen, ¥500 entry) is a separate section with iris gardens (hanashobu, bloom mid-June) and a pond. The garden was designed by Emperor Meiji for Empress Shoken. It's a peaceful extension of the main shrine visit — budget an additional 30 minutes. The iris garden's 150 varieties bloom for 2-3 weeks in June.

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