[
History:
Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shōken in 1914, the Japanese people wished to pay their respects to the two influential Japanese figures. It was for this reason that Meiji Shrine was constructed and their souls enshrined on November 1, 1920.]
We met these 2 youngsters before we reached Meiji-Jingu. They dressed in Harajuku style. [
Harajuku style is a Japanese fashion adopted by the teenagers and young adults in the area and its side streets which have many boutiques, trendy stores and used clothes shops.]
Welcome to Meiji-Jingu ...
Coincidentally there was Children's shrine day, children were dressed up in Japanese traditional kimono.
[History: Children's shrine day is a ceremonial visit paid by parents and children to their tutelary shrines to offer gratitude for the healthy growth of the children. Celebrations are carried out on November 15th for boys who reach the age of 3 or 5, or for girls who turn 3 or 7 years old. The custom is for the children to dress in their best clothes, and to carry Chitose-ame which are long thin candy sticks colored in red and white, believed to bring good luck.]
Some chrysanthemum flowers
Wedding ceremony
[History: Ema are small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshippers write their prayers or wishes. The ema are then left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) receive them. They bear various pictures, often of animals or other Shinto imagery, and many have the word gan'i, meaning "wish", written along the side. In ancient times people would donate horses to the shrines for good favor, over time this was trasferred to a wooden plaque with a picture of a horse, and later still to the various wooden plaques sold today for the same purpose.]
Of course don't forget about the food :)
Some infrared pictures.
To be continued on Part 2 ... Yokohama
