Togo Shrine
Whats Nearby:
Shibuya
Meiji Shrine
Harajuku
Essential Exploring
Amongst the hordes of teenagers wandering the streets of Harajuku, and rows of sheik shops, the last thing you'd expect to find is a serene traditional Japanese garden and Shrine.
This location is a unique combination of a Shrine, Japanese garden, pond, board walk and a winding wooded path. It is everything you could want all packed neatly into one spot. Although the square feet of the area is relatively small, it doesn't leave you with any disappointment and, on the contrary creates a feeling of tremendous space, thanks to the enclosure of the area by trees.
The Journey
The journey starts off in front of the wood Torii on Meiji dori. Standing at the entrance the first thing you will notice is the cleanliness and perfection of this scene; truly picture-esque. As you walk ahead you'll find the road splitting, the left goes around the pond and towards the Temple, to the right goes into the garden and pond, and then to the temple
The garden and pond are brilliantly landscaped, there is so much diversity in the flora that it makes other gardens in Tokyo look plain and with no fences along the shore you're free go right down to the water's edge, something very uncommon. Cutting through the pond is a wood boardwalk, which goes through a few twists and turns until it brings you to the opposing shore, through a large stone Torii, and you're on your way to the temple. A peak over the sides of the boardwalk will reveal schools of Koi fish and fairly large turtles swimming about.
Continuing through the winding paths, enclosed on both sides by trees you come to the Temple. Like the rest of the grounds, the Temple and its elements are also in top form, clean and neat. It is quite common for weddings to be held here on the weekends, the bride and groom, as well as an entire procession of clergy, musicians and family members will walk from the boardwalk to the Temple as part of the ceremony.
How to get to the Togo Jinja
The togo Jinja is a short walk from the Yamanote Harajuku station, and is located approximately 800 feet north of the Meiji dori & Omote Sando intersection (near at the Meijijingumae subway station)
Related Pages
