Meiji Shrine

Pass under the great torii and the city goes silent: Meiji Shrine sits in a hundred-thousand-tree forest planted by hand a century ago, and the gravel walk to the halls is the calmest ten minutes in Tokyo. Step out the other side and you are on Takeshita Street, in the loudest. Do both back to back; that contrast is the city.

• The torii gates, cypress giants marking the shift from city to forest.
• The sake and wine barrels, offering walls from two traditions, facing each other.
• The main sanctuary, copper roofs, courtyard rituals, and ema tablets by the thousand.
• A wedding procession, red parasols crossing the courtyard, most weekend mornings.

The forest absorbs almost any crowd, but early morning is when it works its magic, and weekend mornings add wedding processions to watch. New Year is the one time it truly jams.

Harajuku station sits at the forest’s edge; the shrine, Takeshita Street and Yoyogi Park share the same corner. Rinse hands at the temizuya, bow at the gate, and photograph ceremonies from a distance.