明治神宮(めいじじんぐう)

めいじじんぐう
noun (proper)
Meiji Shrine (Tokyo)
religionproper-nounplace-name
1. Meiji Shrine (in Tokyo)
A large Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, next to Harajuku, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken. It stands in a forest planted by volunteers and was completed in 1920. It draws more first-visit worshippers at New Year than any other shrine in Japan.
明治神宮(めいじじんぐう)に行(い)った。
I went to Meiji Shrine.
明治神宮(めいじじんぐう)は原宿駅(はらじゅくえき)のすぐ近(ちか)くにある。
Meiji Shrine is right by Harajuku Station.
毎年(まいとし)正月(しょうがつ)には、明治神宮(めいじじんぐう)に三百万人(さんびゃくまんにん)近(ちか)くが初詣(はつもうで)に訪(おとず)れる。
Every New Year nearly three million people visit Meiji Shrine for their first shrine visit of the year.

Cultural note

  • Japan's most visited shrine for 初詣(はつもうで), the first shrine visit of the New Year
  • The forest around it, 明治神宮(めいじじんぐう)の森(もり), was planted from trees donated from all over Japan and is now a green island in central Tokyo
  • A popular place for traditional Shinto weddings, often glimpsed by tourists

Related words

  • 神宮(じんぐう): a shrine of high rank, often tied to the imperial family; 伊勢神宮(いせじんぐう) is the most important
  • 明治天皇(めいじてんのう): Emperor Meiji, enshrined here
  • 神宮球場(じんぐうきゅうじょう): the baseball stadium in the shrine's outer garden
general
Added 2026.10.11 21:38 · Revised 2026.10.11 21:42
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