Of all the shrines in the Tokyo area, this one has to be the most sacred. Meiji Jingû is a massive shrine complex in the middle of a forest between Shinjuku and Shibuya. Not only is the shrine an amazing achievement, but the landscaping is also of great significance. The forest which surrounds the shrine is forbidden to everyone except the grounds keepers who maintain it every few years, and all the trees are donations to the shrine from around Japan and the world. Enshrined at Meiji Jingû are Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji restored political power to the Imperial Throne after centuries of political power held first by the aristocrats and then the warriors from the 12th century to 1868 when the Meiji Emperor assumed control. It was Emperor Meiji who transformed Japan from the "feudalistic" society of war lords and vassals to an industrial and imperialistic nation by asking for officers and politicians from Europe to help train the new leaders of Japan.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 10.

Meiji Jingû is a monumental shrine which is only accessable by dirt roads which visitors walk down. Along these roads, huge wooden tori designate the way to the shrine. In April the inner sanctum of the shrine is opened for the only time in the year to pay respects to Emperor Meiji and his wife, and in typical Japanese fashion, unless you are a major contributor to the shrine, visitors cannot see anything. Weddings and ceremonies of all sorts are held throughout the year, and on New Years, as with at most shrines in Japan, casks of sake (and French wine at Meiji Jingû) are opened on New Years. The shrine is not the expected sort of flamboyance or design that may fit in the minds of many, and with the growing popularity of Harajuku, the famed shopping district quite literally across the bridge from the shrine entrance, Meiji Jingû does not always have the same pull for everyone. All the same, even if it doesn't seem particularly special to the casual viewer, it is an incredible place to go with the iris gardens opening in May/June.