Meiji Jingu Shrine is one of the famous representative shrines in Japan, where more than 3 million people visit for “the first visit of a shrine on New Year’s Day” (also known as the largest number of worshipers in Japan). Although it’s located in the middle of the city, it is a mysterious space that displays the majestic beauty of the lushly green and calm atmosphere.
A solemn atmosphere that braced me up
Meiji Jingu Shrine is dedicated to the souls of Emperor of Meiji and his Empress consort. It is a “large green forest in the centre of the city”, located between the famous Harajuku station and Yoyogi station of Yamanote Line, with Yoyogi Park and a riding ground beside it.
Every time I pass through the Otorii (the large wooden gate stands at the entrance of Shinto shrine), there are full of the peace and the majestic tranquillity, that makes me feel energized and refreshed. According to the old legend, here is the junction of two air flows from Mt. Fuji to the Imperial Palace. So that you can understand something like the power of nature.
At first glance, it looks like a dense forest that has been planted disordered, but there’re more than 350 kinds of trees, particularly about endemic species, planted in a planned manner.
On the Sando (an approach to the shrine), you can see many barrels of SAKE donated to the Shrine from the brewing makers around Japan.
“Kiyomasa no Ido (Kiyomasa’s Well)” famous as the energy vortex
The well, called “Kiyomasa no Ido” is known to bring you good luck when you visit there and set the picture as the wallpaper of your mobile phone. It had been often reported by the TV or SNS about 10 years ago, and there was a long line-up to enter the gate at that time. Now that no one has made a procession.
The entrance is on the left after passing the Otorii gate, and the entrance fee (¥ 500) will be charged from here. It took about 10 minutes to get there, but you can enjoy the beautiful pastoral landscape like a paddy field while walking through the park.
Finally arrived at Kiyoma’s well. About 60l of water is coming out in every minute from the ground continuously, and the accumulated water is clear and so beautiful.
The stone inside well was shining in bluish-green and I could feel strong power and positive energy. One more thing, this is the sacred well, so please be careful not to touch and drink the water.
Worship at the worship hall
After leaving the well, let’s go to the main hall to worship. There are some traditional manners when you worship, for example, “bow before you enter the gate”, “wash your mouth and hands before approaching the main hall”, “put some coin into the box” and so on. Please let me skip the details this time.
When you visit the shrine or temple, you may feel refreshed and restore a peaceful, happy state of mind. When you visit Tokyo, I highly recommend you to visit here and receive strong energies and positive power!
