Meiji Shrine and Harajuku

Thank you for joining our tour at Meiji Shrine and Harajuku on March 18. We had 22 guests from America, Canada, Italy, Sweden, India and Malaysia. I hope all of you enjoyed our walking tour in lovely Spring weather. Meiji Shrine is known for the most popular shrine with over three million visitors during the new year days. The shrineis dedicated to the souls of Emperior Meiji and Empress Shoken. The Shrine has unique omikuji. Omikuji is ramdomly drawn fortune-telling papers. However, Meiji shrin...

Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Harajuku area. On that day, March 4, we were honored to welcome 14 guests to our walking tour. Those people came from different corners of the world, including Israel, Canada, U.S.A, Argentina, Spain and Sweden. We were greeted by an amazingly warmer temperature than the previous days. There was a breakthrough in the cool temperature and the weather seemed to have finally improved. Our tour started in front of a Tori or a Shinto Shrine gate. I...

Thank you very much for joining our regular tour on February 4. We welcomed guests from Taiwan and the US. We hope all enjoyed walking with us. Anyways, did anyone eat "Eho-maki", the thick sushi rolls on February 3rd, the Setsubun day ? You might find them sold at supermarkets or convenience stores at that time. Eho literally means the good luck direction, and Eho-maki is believed to bring good fortune if eaten while facing the year's eho. While you eat Eho-maki, you must be silent, look in the...

Many thanks for joining our tour to Meiji Shrine and Harajuku area on January 21. The weather was unusually mild and comfortable in the middle of winter. We welcomed eight guests from America,Australia,Israel,Canada and Thailand. I hope you enjoyed walking with us. On our tour route there is lovely Ota Memorial Museum of Art in Harajuku. It is located at the quiet place between Takeshita Street and Omotesanso street.This museum is one of the most outstanding museums specializing in Ukiyo-e woodb...

Thank you for joining our first Meiji Shrine and Harajukutour of the year! This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, or the transition of political power from the Tokugawa Shogunate to the Meiji Constitutional Monarchy. The Shoguns hadvirtually closed down the country for over 250 years, until in the year1868 when the Emperor took over and eventuallyopened the county to learn modern technology and culture from western powers.I, among many other people, find this transition ...

Many thanks to the guests joining this tour! That was the fifth and last tour to the Meiji Jingu Shrine and Harajuku-Omotesando district this year. In the morning we welcomed 5 guests from Russia, New York, and Singapore. It was so clear that from the rooftop of the building you could view Mt. Fuji, whose height is 3776 meters and which is 100 kilometers away from Tokyo. But it was very cold. In this tour, you could find Meiji-Shrine, very traditional Japanese building and see traditional ceremo...

Thank you for joining the Tokyo Free Walking Tour. December 3rd had a fairly pleasant weather and moderate temperature. We welcomed around 15 guests coming from different corners of the world -- USA, Germany, China, Australia and Singapore. This is the fourth tour in the locations of Meiji Jingu and Takeshita Street, which is still held on trial basis. We, from the Tokyo Walking Tour, greatly appreciate your attendance, which is steadily increasing in number. Majestically nested in an evergreen ...

Thank you, all of you, for accompanying us on our tour to Meiji Shrine and Harajuku district on November 5. It was absolutely wonderful weather in autumn. We welcomed 14 guests from Canada, Brazil, Italy, UK, Austria, Belgium and Russia. Four of the participants had kindly joined our tour to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace the day before which we appreciate. We enjoyed watching a lot of children wearing cute clothing, wedding parades and the chrysanthemum display on the way to the main b...

Thank you for joining Tokyo Free Walking Tour for Meiji Shinto Shrine＆Takeshita Street area. On that day, 29 October, we welcomed four guests; U.K., South Africa, Canada, Singapore and Brazil. We really appreciate your participation despite a terrible weather condition. Typhoon number 22, internationally called as typhoon Saola, was heading to the direction of the sea on the east side of Japan. Gradually decreasing in strength and intensity, Saola left torrential rain in Tokyo, since early morni...

That day was our first tour for the Meiji Jingu Shrine and Harajuku District course. It was a heavy raining day with forecast of a typhoon coming. But surprisingly, we could meet 10 guests at the entrance Torii gate of Meiji Shrine. We were so glad because we thought no one would come because of the bad weather. They were from Columbia, Australia, USA and Canada. First of all, what is Meiji Shrine? It is a memorial of late Meiji Emperor, who had been on the throne during Meiji Era (1868 to 1912)...