Hie Jinja is a prominent shrine in Minato, but has been rebuilt and moved so many times that it is unclear when exactly it was originally founded. Originally a part of Edo Castle before it became the imperial palace in the center of Tokyo, Hie Jinja housed Hie no Kami, or the God of Mount Hie, a prominant mountain in Shiga prefecture and the home of the main Hie Jinja. Hie Jinja in Edo Castle was the home for the guardian deity of the castle and thereby the protecting deity of the city of Edo (modern day Tokyo). Today, it sits outside the old castle grounds next to the Japanese equivalent of the White House or 10 Downing Street. For this reason, there are a lot of police in the area.

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

Hie Jinja is in a pretty cool place with modern architecture, wider streets (a welcome change in such a dense city), and high end shops. If you didn’t know that you were nearing the Prime Minister’s residence, the security level in the area is slightly off-putting with dozens of police watching your every move over the course of several blocks. The shrine itself looks very similar to Kanda Jinja with its red orange paint scheme and gold fittings. The shrine holds several items of importance to Japanese culture: 1 sword which is a National Treasure with 13 other swords and a naginata which are Significant Cultural Objects. Naturally these are not on display to the public though I'm fairly certain that they will occasionally be sent around to museums and the like for public viewing every few years.