Photo: Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert / CC BY-SA 4.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
Meiji Jingu is Tokyo's grandest shrine, and its forest is the point. The shrine says it covers 70 hectares and was planted from 1920 by 110,000 volunteers in honour of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, with 234 varieties of trees donated from across Japan. Every tree was chosen for how it would look after 100 or 200 years, and the forest has since been left to look after itself.
You enter from the Harajuku side and walk in under the trees. It takes at least ten minutes from the entrance to the main shrine buildings, by the shrine's own count. The Inner Garden (a ¥500 contribution), the museum (¥1,000) and the monthly rites and events are optional. Harajuku station is on the shrine's list of nearby stations, so Takeshita-dori is a short step away if you want contrast.
The catch is the clock: the shrine closes at sunset, which in autumn is a little before 16:40 (16:10 in November), so the late part of a long call is wasted here. And it is a lot of rail for a short call. Do not come on a call of less than about five hours.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- The shrine opens at sunrise and closes at sunset; check the month's table, which is 16:40 in October and 16:10 in November. Come first, not last.
- The shrine's access page lists Harajuku (JR Yamanote), Meiji-jingu-mae (Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines), Yoyogi and Sangubashi among its stations.
- Motorcycles and bicycles are not allowed in the grounds, and wheelchairs can be borrowed at the entrance (per the shrine's access page).
- The Meiji Jingu Museum is closed on Thursdays and its last entry is 16:00 (¥1,000).
- The shrine's precinct map and etiquette pages are on its site; read the etiquette page before you go.
Harajuku station is on the shrine's list of nearby stations, so Takeshita-dori is a short step away if you want contrast.
Guided ways to do Meiji Jingu
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
Questions people ask here
How do I get from the Tokyo cruise terminal to Meiji Shrine?
Take the Yurikamome from Tokyo International Cruise Terminal to Shimbashi (about 15 minutes), then the Ginza line to Omotesando and the Chiyoda line one stop to Meiji-jingumae, or the JR Yamanote line to Harajuku. A Yahoo! Japan route search gave about 45–50 minutes and ¥566 with IC for a 09:00 departure. The shrine entrance is a short walk from either station.
Is Meiji Shrine free, and when does it close?
Entry is free every day. It opens with sunrise and closes with sunset: in October it is 5:40 to 16:40, in November 6:10 to 16:10. The Inner Garden asks for a ¥500 contribution.
How long should I allow?
The shrine says it takes at least ten minutes to walk from the entrance to the main buildings, so allow an hour for a brisk visit. With rail time on a Tokyo call, it needs about five hours at the very least.