Meiji Shrine

One of the really great things about travel is to learn more about the places we go. Though I was a political science major and studied quite a bit of history, what I knew about Japan was largely limited to World War II. And, ironically, I was reading the outstanding book Unbroken as we flew into Japan - it didn’t paint a very pretty picture.

In my lifetime, Japan has always been one of the major world economies (though fledgling for a decade now) and part of the world community – it’s hard to imagine it otherwise. However, I learned that less than 100 years before WWII, Japan was a very isolated country with little impact on the world stage. Prior to the 1860s, shogun (military leaders – I envision them between a cross between a warlord and a mafia boss) wielded power over the country and used foreign trade to create great profits – for themselves. The emperor, while the legitimate head of the country, was a mere figurehead.

The shogun era came to an end when Emperor Meiji ascended into power in 1862. It was Emperor Meiji who initiated social, political, and industrial revolutions in Japan. By the time of his death in 1912, Japan had transformed to a democratic form of government with a market economy open to foreign trade. Personal freedoms, such as the freedom of religion, were granted to all people.

As you might imagine, Emperor Meiji and his wife are highly revered by the people of Japan. To honor the emperor and empress, the Meiji Shrine was constructed in 1926. In addition to the shrine itself, more than 120,000 trees of 350+ species of trees were donated by people from all parts of Japan. All that said, I was terribly disappointed that the pictures don’t convey the amazing beauty of the shrine and its grounds. We were in absolute awe of the scale of it, with its huge entry gates, really tall trees, and grass (though not green) that went on and on (175 acres!) – all in middle of a big bustling city where most spaces can be best described as compact.

The entry "torii" to the shrine grounds.  It symbolizes the entrance to sacred grounds.

Trees, trees everywhere.  We realized how nature-deprived we sometimes feel in HK.

These are azalea bushes.  Unfortunately we were there too early to see them in bloom.

Our little tree squirrel.

An entrance to the shrine complex.  Such interesting detail!

Inside the shrine.

Barrels of sake donated in honor of the emperor and empress - a very colorful display!

The Meiji Shrine gave a taste Japanese culture and history. It was also a good introduction to the Japanese aesthetic, focused on nature, harmony, and simplicity, that we really came to appreciate as the week went on.  More to come...