riontel | Japan: Day Two, Meiji Shrine

Meiji Jingu Shrine is not very old, it only dates from 1920s, and is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, the one who gave the name to the Meiji Restoration and holds responsibility for abolishion of Shogunate and opening of Japan to the outside world, and his wife. Despite its relatively young age it's one of the most venerated shrines in Japan. It's also one of the simplest of the major shrines, built of cypress wood with very few adornments.

Two torii that lead to the shrine are the largest two in Japan and are much older than the shrine itself, they were built of cypress more than 1,700 years ago.

Simplicity of the shrines architecture were very much in line with my tastes but my main interest lay in the park that surrounded the shrine and its inner garden. The park's pathways are nicely lined with large trees, that must make the place quite pleasant in the summer.

The garden should really be visited in the spring when its famous irises are blooming. I was left with no flowers to admire and had to settle for some likely poisonous mushrooms.