Meiji Shrine

On our third day in Tokyo, we visited Meiji Shrine, which is located is a large wooded area in the city.  A guard scolded me at one point for sitting on the ground taking photos of Tim and Aleena.  We weren't in the shrine area yet, so I am not sure of the problem.

Along the road to the shrine, there was a large row of sake casks on one side and champagne casks (I think) on the other.  Also along the way were large signs that explained the history of the shrine.










After about a twenty minute walk, we made it to the shrine.  As you enter the shrine, there is an area to purify yourself by washing your hands and rinsing out your mouth.  There is a whole ritual around the hand washing and mouth rinsing.  One thing that you are not supposed to do is to actually drink out of the cup. Instead, you are supposed to pour the water in your cupped hand and put it in your mouth from their.





When we arrived at the shrine, we spotted a young woman in a kimono and asked her if she would pose for a photo with Tim and the girls.  She very graciously agreed.



The temple is also a popular place for weddings.  The day of our visit was a Sunday, so in the hour or so that we were at the shrine, we saw two wedding processions.