Meiji-Jingū (Meiji Shrine)

Tokyo’s grandest Shintō shrine, this 1920 edifice enshrines the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, under whose rule Japan ended its isolation from the outside world. Destroyed in WWII bombings and reconstructed in 1958, the shrine buildings occupy just a corner of the precinct’s 70 forested hectares. In fact, its 100,000 trees are said to have been donated by 100,000 visitors from all over Japan. Meiji-jingū might be a reconstruction of the original, but unlike so many of Japan’s postwar reconstructions, it is altogether authentic. The main structure was built with hinoki cypress from the Kiso region of Nagano prefecture, while the cypress for the huge torii was imported from Alishan in Taiwan. If you’re there when a wedding is on, the procession is photographic gold. The grounds are also home to the Meiji-jingū Gyōen, a lovely strolling garden. It was once the property of two daimyō families, after it came under imperial control, Meiji himself designed the garden as a gift to the Empress Shōken. There are peaceful walks to the pond and teahouse and a good dose of privacy at weekdays, and spectacular irises and satsuki azaleas in season.