For some reason, we entered the Meiji Jingu ground through a side gate. I didn't know how we ended up there but it was a lovely walk since the weather was so nice and the trees, or the forest, were so green.
Meiji Jingu, Meiji Shrine, 明治神宮前, is by the Yoyogi Park in Shibuya ward. The closest station is Harajuku Station. And... we did not take that line, that was probably why we ended up at a side gate. We realized that as we were leaving the Meiji Shrine..
Completed in 1920, the Shrine is dedicated to the Meiji Emperor and Empress for modernizing and westernizing Japan in becoming one of the major countries in the world. Even today, it remains one of the most popular shrines in Tokyo, especially for special occasions, such as New Year's Day and 7-5-3, just to name a few. On New Year's Day, people come to the shrine for the first prayer of the year. Millions of people wake up early trying to be one of the first ones at the shrine to start the year. (No kidding. Millions.)
Another special occasion is 7-5-3 (shichi-go-san), which was what was happening that day. We were walking through the forest enjoying the fresh air, as we got closer to the shrine, we started to see parents or families with young children, both boys and girls, dressed in traditional clothing. It was cute. Not normal, but cute. Still not registered what was going on, we kept walking. Then it dawned on me, it was the day for the annual 7-5-3, meaning an annual event to celebrate children turning 7 or 5 or 3 years old. For girls, it's age 3 and 7; for boys, it's age 3 and 5. It's a day to celebrate their good health and growth, because it was difficult to raise healthy children back in HeiAn period (year 795 to 1185). Turning 3/5/7 years old is monumental. After going to the shrine, children get money and gifts from family and relatives as congratulation. 7-5-3 is a big thing.
Butttttttt, before entering the shrine, we need to purify ourselves first. No, we don't do it with sage. We purify ourselves at the Temizuya 手水舎 outside of the gate. It's not only for Meiji Shrine, the other shrines and temples also have Temizuya and the Japanese do still follow this step.
It's a water basin outside of the gate and there is very specific steps to do it properly. Check out my video for demonstration. Don't worry. It's running water and very clean. I'm not saying the water is as pure as the water in Iceland, but tap water in Japan is quite safe. Anyways, so to break it down, this is how to cleanse next time you find yourself at a Temizuya.
With your right hand (it has to be the right hand, sorry lefties), take a wooden dipper to scoop up some water and carefully and slowly pour the water onto your left hand. Do not let the dipper touch your left hand.
Now, switch to your left hand and repeat step 1 for your right hand.
Then change the dipper back to your right hand again. This time, pour water to your left hand and rinse your mouth with the water in your left hand. Do not touch your mouth with the dipper. That is disrespectful. Spit out the water to the stone below. NOT in the basin.
Finally, rinse the dipper by tilting the handle toward you to allow the remaining of the water to drip down naturally. Place it back to the basin for the next person. Scoop side down.
After we have purified ourselves, we can enter the shrine. If you wish to pray, there are proper steps for it too, and I always did it wrong so we're gonna learn how to do it properly together. (Look, they didn't teach us how at school, okay?)
You will see a big red box at the entrance of the shrine and sometimes a big bell hanging from top of the ceiling. Put some coins into the box, bow twice, then clap your hands loudly twice to announce yourself to the deity.
Say your prayers respectfully and bow once.
This is for Shinto Shrines. It's kind of similar to Buddhist temples, but no clapping needed.
We also saw a pair of newly weds leaving the shrine. It was really cool to see.
And then, we tried some mitarashi dango from the street vender. They are like plain mochi dipped in sweet soy sauce glaze. A very common snack in Japan.
奉献酒樽
It's common to offer wine to the Gods in Asia. These barrels are for that purpose.
The Meiji Shrine has a lot of grounds as it shows from the map below. We stopped by the museum to see some of the treasures from Meiji period. The architecture itself was already beautiful. It's really fun to explore the museum and other parts.
