Tokyo Meiji Jingu Shinto & Imperial History Walking Tour

Walk the forest path
to Meiji Jingu’s great torii gate

Meet your guide at Harajuku Station and enter the forest path of Meiji Jingu, surrounded by about 100,000 trees. Pass the first torii gate, see the consecrated wine barrels and sake barrels, and arrive at the 12-meter wooden torii gate made from 1,500-year-old Taiwanese cypress. Your guide also explains the custom of walking along the edges when passing through a torii, avoiding the center path (seichu) reserved for the gods.

Learn about Shinto and the imperial family at the main hall

Pass by the spot introducing the poetry of Emperor Meiji on your way to the main hall. There, experience Shinto, Japan’s indigenous religion rooted in respect for nature and harmony with the divine, and hear from your guide about the 2,600-year-old imperial system and Japan’s transformation from the samurai era to today.

After praying, you can buy an omamori (protective charm) or an “Omigokoro” omikuji containing poems by Emperor Meiji and Empress Dowager Shoken. The poems come with English translations, making them easy to understand. You will have about 45 minutes around the main hall for sightseeing and free time.

Relax at the forest café Mori no Terrace

After visiting the shrine, take a break of about 15 minutes at the café “Mori no Terrace” in Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu. Enjoy Japanese tea and light snacks while looking out at the forest, and browse souvenirs at the shop, such as eco blocks made of camphor wood and miniature consecrated sake barrels. The tour returns to Harajuku Station and ends there.

※ This tour is conducted in English only; Japanese guidance is not available.
※ The itinerary may change depending on local conditions.