Meiji Shrine: A Forest Built to Last, and How to Visit

The forest around Meiji Shrine began with a nationwide collection of trees. About 100,000 were donated for its creation, according to the shrine’s Japanese history of the grounds. The trees were part of a plan for a forest that could renew itself long after its planters were gone.

Meiji Shrine, also called Meiji Jingu, is a Shinto shrine in Tokyo’s Shibuya district dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The shrine grounds are free to enter; the Inner Garden and Meiji Jingu Museum charge separately. Start with the forest walk and main shrine, then decide which of those two additions interests you.

At a glance

Where	Yoyogi Kamizono-cho, Shibuya. Use Harajuku Station’s west exit or Meiji-jingumae Station’s Exit 2 for the Harajuku entrance; allow at least another 10 minutes from the entrance to the main buildings. Access / walking time
Hours	Change monthly. November: 6:10 a.m.–4:10 p.m.; December: 6:40 a.m.–4 p.m. Official timetable
Cost	Shrine grounds: free. Inner Garden: ¥500 maintenance contribution. Museum: ¥1,000 for adults. Shrine / garden / museum
Time needed	The shrine suggests about 1 hour for a shrine visit, or about 2 hours including the garden and museum. Treat these as estimates. Official Q&A
Look for	The planted forest, torii gateways, and sake barrels along the South Approach. Forest / sanctuary guide
Photography	No photographs in front of the main shrine where people pray; avoid photographing the amulet office. Official Q&A

Checked Nov 8, 2026, against Meiji Jingu’s official pages and Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu’s access guide. Facility hours differ from the shrine gates.

Who is Meiji Shrine dedicated to?

Meiji Jingu enshrines Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. It is a place of worship, while their tombs are in Kyoto, as the shrine’s account of its establishment explains.

The shrine was established on November 1, 1920, after both had died. Most of the shrine complex burned during the air raids of 1945; reconstruction restored it in 1958. The forest survived the war.

Those dates help separate the history of the institution from the age of what you see. A visit brings together a twentieth-century foundation, reconstructed shrine buildings, and a forest planned to renew itself. For a different religious site on your Tokyo itinerary, read our guide to Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.

Why was the forest planted?

The forest was created for the shrine, with trees selected to form a self-renewing woodland. The Japanese history of the grounds describes much of the earlier landscape, outside the existing garden, as fields and rough ground.

The planting choices were practical. In its Japanese Q&A, Meiji Jingu explains that forestry specialists favored evergreen broadleaf trees such as oaks and camphor. Tokyo’s pollution and the conditions at Yoyogi mattered to their decision.

The same account says Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu wanted a cedar forest. The specialists argued that cedars suited wetter valleys better than this site, and persuaded him. What looks like a simple expanse of green began with an argument about what would survive.

Do not read the often-repeated “100,000 trees” as a present-day tree count. That is the approximate number donated during construction. The shrine’s Japanese overview cites about 36,000 trees in its second comprehensive survey, published in 2013; that historical survey is not a fresh count for 2026.

What should you look for on the approach?

Look for the torii gateways and the sake barrels on the South Approach. A torii is a shrine gateway: Meiji Jingu’s sanctuary guide describes it as the boundary between ordinary space and sacred ground.

The rows of sake barrels are another feature of the route. Sake is Japanese rice wine. The barrels give you a specific landmark to look for between the entrance and the main shrine.

Near the shrine, you may also notice ema, wooden votive tablets carrying visitors’ wishes and thanks. The official guide shows wedding processions too, but that is not a promise of a procession during your visit. If one passes, give the participants room and follow staff directions.

The approach is part of the visit, not just a passage to a building. Leave time to walk it both ways, particularly if you arrive near closing.

Is the Inner Garden worth adding?

Add the Inner Garden if you want a closer look at the landscape that predates the shrine. The official garden history traces it to an Edo-period estate garden, later arranged as a strolling garden for Empress Shoken around 1893.

One detail changes how to look at the iris beds: they were designed so that you cannot see the whole planting at once. The view unfolds as you follow the paths. GO TOKYO recommends June for the irises; flowering conditions still need checking near your visit.

Kiyomasa’s Well is inside the garden. The shrine says it is traditionally attributed to Kato Kiyomasa, rather than presenting that authorship as a documented certainty.

Entry requires a ¥500 maintenance contribution. Regular hours are 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. from March through October, and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. from November through February. June has its own schedule: 8 a.m.–5 p.m., extended to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the garden page before going; the opening time is not the same as the shrine gates.

Which museum should you visit?

For objects associated with the emperor and empress, choose the Meiji Jingu Museum. It opened in October 2019 in a building designed by Kengo Kuma, with gently sloping roofs and two exhibition floors.

The first-floor displays explain the shrine’s history and daily activities. Upstairs, the museum presents imperial belongings and changing exhibitions. This is the useful addition if the forest has made you curious about the people commemorated here.

The older Treasure House, north of the main shrine, is a different building. The shrine says it opens only for limited periods, announced separately. Its collections are now housed and displayed at the newer museum, so do not plan on the old building as an everyday substitute.

The museum’s regular hours are 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. It normally closes on Thursdays, except national holidays, and also between exhibitions. Adult admission is ¥1,000. Check the exhibition calendar before committing to a museum visit.

How do you pray, and where can you take photos?

The shrine’s stated prayer sequence is two bows, two claps, then one final bow. You do not need to be a Shinto believer to visit, according to its official Q&A.

At the water pavilion, follow the current instructions for cleansing your hands and rinsing your mouth. At the prayer area, the Japanese visitor guide gives these steps:

1. Make your offering and stand upright.
2. Bow twice.
3. Clap twice, then keep your hands together for your prayer.
4. Finish with one deep bow.

Photography stops at the prayer area. The shrine’s etiquette guide also prohibits drones, running, and leaving the forest paths. Do not collect plants, branches, or other material from the grounds. Food and drink belong in designated areas.

For a goshuin, a commemorative shrine seal, the Japanese guide directs visitors to Nagadono, the counter in front of Kaguraden. Reception runs from 9 a.m. until the gates close, although the location can change on particular days. An early opening of the grounds does not mean the counter is already operating.

What are the opening hours?

Meiji Shrine’s opening hours change by month, following daylight. Use the published timetable, rather than assuming a fixed closing time throughout the year.

For example, June’s regular hours are 5 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; December’s are 6:40 a.m.–4 p.m. That difference matters if you are fitting the shrine after another afternoon stop. The garden and museum keep separate hours, and a morning forest walk can begin before either opens.

For New Year visits, check the shrine’s dated announcements closer to the holiday. Do not apply a previous year’s overnight arrangements to your travel dates.

If you go

Use the Harajuku entrance for a visit paired with Harajuku. The official Forest Terrace access guide lists Harajuku Station’s west exit and Meiji-jingumae Station’s Exit 2. The shrine itself advises at least another ten minutes on foot from an entrance to the main buildings.

A suggested route is the South Approach, the sake barrels, then the main shrine, with the garden or museum added according to their opening hours. Use the official one- or two-hour estimates as a starting point and leave extra time for exhibitions, photographs, or a slower walk.

Arrange luggage storage before arriving: the shrine’s Q&A says there is no suitcase storage inside the grounds. If you need a wheelchair, the access page says wheelchairs are available at the entrances; contact the shrine about your particular requirements.

Afterward, choose an outdoor break in adjacent Yoyogi Park or continue into Harajuku and Takeshita Street. GO TOKYO lists both among the surrounding places to combine with a visit. Before setting out, check your month’s closing time and decide which paid addition, if any, you want to include.