Japan is truly a clash of cultures, where traditional and modern collide.
Just outside the gates of Meiji-Jingu, is the shopping precinct of Harajuku. On Sundays, teens from all over Tokyo come, dressed up.
And in another part of Tokyo, you can see sumo wrestlers strolling around, doing their day-to-day chores.
Sunday is wedding day at Meiji-Jingu. Seems like there are plenty of couples/families willing to fork out their life savings on a traditional wedding.
Since the wedding-goers parade in the middle of the temple grounds, all the visitors got a sneak peak, too.
I liked the wooden prayer cards that hang in shrines all over Japan. At Meiji-Jingu, they were written in all sorts of languages, reflecting the diversity of visitors there.
Once you near the Meiji-Jingu shrine, you are welcome to cleanse your hands and mouth before entering.
If only the barrels were full! These empty sake barrels outside of Meiji-Jingu seem to be a feature of shrines since I saw them in a few places in different parts of Japan.
I love the artwork on them – such attention to detail.
It’s been two-and-a-half years since my trip to Japan, but I’ve still got many vivid memories of my month there. One of them was my visit to the Meiji-Jingu shrine. It is the most important shrine in Tokyo, set in the middle of some glorious parkland. The entrance, is a giant torii or gate, in the middle of a forested avenue.
I will post more photos from Meiji-Jingu tomorrow.
Static and Silence 