The original shrine was destroyed during the Second World War and the current construction was completed in 1958. In contrast to many other postwar reconstructions in Japan, the original plans were followed and the correct building materials, in this case mainly Japanese cypress, were used. The shrine is situated in a forest like park with more than 120 000 trees donated from all areas of Japan.

The main entrance to the shrine is close to Harajuku Station (JR Yamanote Line) or Meiji Jingumae Station (Chiyoda subway line). You enter through an enormous wooden torii (see photo below) and proceed along a wide gravel walkway. After several minutes walk turn to the left and go through another torii - the largest wooden torii in Japan. To the left is a small park - admittance charged and not really worth it. (A surcharge is added while the irises are blooming in June / July whether in full bloom or nearing expiration!)

The shrine itself follows a type of Shinto shrine architecture dating back to the eight century of dignified simplicity with decorations limited to the absolute minimum. This is in stark contrast to the splendor and excessive decoration at the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa Shogun in Nikko. At Meiji Jingu most of the wood are unpainted, with a limited use of white paint and copper naturally turned green the only contrasting colors. The chrysanthemum crest of the imperial family is visible in several places including the square lanterns hanging from the eaves.

If you cut your shrine viewing teeth in Nikko or Kamakura, Meiji Jingu will come as a pleasant surprise - there are practically no stairs here. That said the walk from the entrance to the shrine itself takes a good 20 minutes or so. It is mostly gravel and can get a bit dusty on a busy day. It is also not suitable for narrow wheel strollers and wheelchairs although ones with thicker wheels seem to be OK.

There are frequent festivals and events held at the shrine. The most crowded is the first three days of the New Year. On New Year’s Eve it can take several hours to proceed from the entrance to the shrine itself and even on 2 January you can expect enough people to slow proceedings down to a crawl.

The Meiji Shrine is open from sunrise to sunset and entrance is free.

On the way from the parking lot to the shrine, you enter through the tall gate, made out of Taiwanese cypress trees. The simple design: two pillars and two cross bars (the top one curved up) make up the traditional Shinto gate.

As you enter the shrine area, you will notice to your left a hand washing station. This is where visitors stop and wash their hands in cold water using wooden ladles. This is done for purification purposes, although it seems to entertain a lot of the visitors.

The shrine itself has a rustic feeling to it. You can go up to the altar, throw some coins into the slots in front of the altar, clap your hands twice and bow. Clapping is appropriate in Shinto shrines as it awakes the gods (though in Buddist temple it will most likely get you kicked out).

You can purchase a variety of lucky charms here as well. Anything from "Luck in travel" to "Luck on an entrance examination" can be obtained for a little bit of yen.

To get here, you can take a metro to Meiji Jungu-mae station or alternatively near Harajuku station. Meiji Jingu is included on most Tokyo city bus tours.