Meiji Shrine (明治神宮）

40-foot high gate entrance to the park

Shinto is considered Japan's ancient, original religion and it is deeply rooted in the Japanese way  of life. This Shinto shrine was built after the death of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, as a memorial to the emperor. The Emperor passed away in 1912, and the Empress in 1914. 100,000 trees from all over Japan and overseas were donated to build a forest to commemorate the Emperor and Empress. In 1920, a shrine was erected in the middle of this forest of 245  different species of trees.

Forest Surrounding Meiji Shrine 

One of the many large trees in the middle of the shrine

Treasure museum

The shrine also includes a treasure museum (Homotsuden Honkan), which is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. Admission costs 500 yen per person, 200 yen for high school students, but 300 yen and 100 yen respectively in a group over 20. Middle school children and younger have free admission. This site is valuable because it clearly shows how much Westernization impacted Japan during the Meiji period, and how Meiji himself was fond of Western culture.



Spring Festival

The Meiji Shrine Spring Grand Festival is held at the shrine from April 29th to May 3rd. During this time, several solemn Shinto ceremonies are held. During this festival, various traditional Japanese performances are performed in honour of the deities on the stage in front of the main shrine building. These are open to the public and include Hogaku and Hobu (classical Japanese dance), Bugaku  (ancient imperial court music), Sankyoku (traditional Japanese music), Noh and Kyogen (classical Japanese theatre), and Satsuma biwa (Japanese lute music).

Websites: http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/, http://studenttrip.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/travel-to-do-list-6-tokyo/

Imperial Palace (皇居）

Formerly known as Edo Castle, this was the former residence of the Tokugawa Bakufu, and later became the residence of Emperor Meiji, and remains the Imperial Residence today. It is known as Kokyo, which literally translates into Imperial Residence. It is located in Chiyoda, the center of Tokyo. From a historical perspective, the location of this castle makes sense as it would have been the focus of the city Edo (now called Tokyo).
The wide grounds are, for the most part, not open to the general public, except on New Year's and on the Emperor's birthday, when the Imperial family makes a public appearance on the balcony of the Imperial Palace. However, the Outer Gardens and Kitanomaru Park are open to the public, and the Eastern Gardens are open during the day, except for Mondays and Thursdays.
Foreigners can join free guided tours of the Imperial Palace grounds, though bookings must be made in advance. These tour groups, being high in demand, usually consist of hundreds of people in each group. These tours are in Japanese, but an English audio guide is available to be pre-ordered without charge.
You can view a map of the Imperial Palace grounds here.

One of the most photographed scenes in Japan is of the Nijubashi Bridge, which is part of the private part of the Imperial Palace. "Nijubashi" means "Double Bridge" as there are actually two bridges that cross the moat. The original wooden briges were replaced in the Meiji era with modern stone and iron cast structures. The bridge in the foreground is the "Stone Bridge of the Main Gate", while the bridge in the background is the "Steel Bridge of the Main Gate". "Nijubashi" usually refers only to the "Steel Bridge of the Main Gate" because in the past when the bridge was still made of wood, it had been further reinforced with wooden beams, thereby creating a so-called double bridge.

While much of the architecture is very Japanese-style, there is some buildings that display European architecture, an influence of Westernization brought by Emperor Meiji. This was an important site during both the Edo and Meiji periods, and shows how the Japanese worldview changed from the Edo to the Meiji period.

Websites: http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.html, http://www.gojapango.com/tokyo/imperial_palace_tokyo.htm, http://www.env.go.jp/garden/kokyogaien/english/point01.html

Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社）

This shrine was built in the Meiji period and honors Japanese soldiers who died in wars from the Meiji period on. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,455,000 enshrined men and women. These people include many who sacrificed themselves in conflicts including the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Saga Uprising, the Sino-Japanese War, World War I, and World War II.





Aside from soldiers, other people such as those involved in relief operations on battlefields, and those students who worked in factories for the war effort, are also enshrined here. Even ordinary Japanese citizens, including those not native to Japan, were also included.

It is recorded that every year some five million people visit the shrine to pay their respects, and twice a year - in autumn and spring - major rituals take place involving offerings from the Emperor. Everyday rituals are held to offer meals and words of appreciation to the dead. This stems from the Japanese belief that in order to properly respect the dead they must be treated the same as they were when alive.

"Illustration of Grand Festival at Yasukuni Shrine" by Shinohara Kiyooki, 1985
[2000_513] Sharf Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Yushukan

It is important to realize that this shrine is actually slightly controversial because some enshrined here are war criminals and because the museum at the shrine, Yushukan, blatantly celebrates the questionable ideology that lead to many very young pilots acting as kamikaze.

August 15th 2010, Yasukuni Shrine

The effects of this controversy can be seen very evidently on August 15th demonstrations, an event held on the anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.  Several thousands of Japanese  visit the shrine to pray, but the grounds are surrounded by riot police and the mix of conflicting views between people holding extreme political views results in protests and confrontations, though it is usually nothing extremely violent.  Due to this controversy it has long be questioned whether Japanese politicians should pray at the shrine, and in the 2010, it was the first time in 25 years that no member of the cabinet attended the event. 

This shrine has strong ties to the Emperor and was one of the principal State Shinto shrines. This shrine demonstrates the imperialism and militarism that was brought about in the Meiji Restoration, as well as the values and beliefs surrounding war in this period. You can visit the shrine's official website here for more information on planning your visit, including information on festival (Matsuri Rituals) dates.

Websites: http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/about/index.html, http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/about/deities.html, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1609931,00.html, http://mit.out.ac.tz/OCWExternal/Akamai/21f/21f.027j/throwing_off_asia/toa_core_01.html, http://travel67.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/august-15th-yasakuni-shrine-tokyo/

Nihonbashi (日本橋）

Nihonbashi

This bridge was the most important bridge during the Edo Period. It is a bridge over the Nihonbashi-gawa River on the north side of Chuo-ku and was the point of origin for Japan's five main streets. The Bakufu measured all distances in Japan from Edo from this point and was rebuilt in stone during the Meiji period. Many high-class department stores were built around this bridge and the area has become a very busy and popular shopping destination. This area still bears a bronze signpost with the words "Origin of Roads in Japan".

A model of the Mitsui Echigoya

During the Edo period the district was a major mercantile center and the Mitsui family, who based their wholesaling business in Nihonbashi, developed Japan's first department store, Mitsukoshi. It was founded in 1673 with the shop name Echigoya (越後屋) and sold kimonos. Ten years after being founded, door-to-door selling was abandoned and the shop was turned into a store where customers could purchase products on the spot with cash. The company experienced massive expansion and has grown to be an international department store chain. The current Mitsukoshi building completed construction in 1935 and features seven stories of stores.

Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi
[A seven story department store completed in 1935]

In the 1960s, the Shuto expressway was built over it, and it was not until recently, when Tokyo was making a bid for the 2016 Olympics, that there was talk about moving the Shuto underground. This bridge is a sign of how the Bakufu (the Shogunate) kept the daimyo under control: daimyo that the Bakufu trusted less were assigned lands further from Edo, as measured by the bridge. The Shuto Expressway also gives a glance of the modern Japanese worldview, especially their view on their heritage.

The zero mile point sign at Nihonbashi

Websites: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3033.html, http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/tokyo/ginza_nihonbasi.html, http://www.ltij.net/tokyo/nihonbashi.html, http://www.mitsui.com/jp/en/company/history/index.html

Kanda Myojin

This shrine is one of the oldest and most important shrines in Edo/Tokyo, and has been rebuilt several times. In both the Edo Period and the Meiji Period, this shrine was seen to offer protection for the shogun or the emperor, and is known as the Tutelary Shrine of Edo. This shrine demonstrates how the Japanese worldview affected the place of religion in both everyday life and in politics.

Website: http://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/english/e01.html

Yushima Seido

A Confucian temple constructed in the Edo Period. Rather than a site of worship, this was an institution for higher learning. The present site is directly across from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University. This site demonstrates the interconnectedness of religion and education in the Japanese worldview, as well as the influence of Confucianism on the Japanese worldview during the Edo Period.

Website: http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=357&pID=1187#seido

8.1 From Isolation to Adaptation: Japan Outcomes Index

General Outcome
Through an examination of Japan, students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the ways in which beliefs, values and knowledge shape worldviews and contribute to a society’s isolation or adaptation.

Specific Outcomes

• Values and Attitudes

Students will:
8.1.1 appreciate the roles of time and geographic location in shaping a society’s worldview
(C, I, TCC, LPP)
8.1.2 appreciate how a society’s worldview can foster the choice to remain an isolated society
(C, I, TCC)
8.1.3 appreciate how models of governance and decision making reflect a society’s worldview
(C, I, TCC, PADM)
8.1.4 appreciate how a society’s worldview shapes individual citizenship and identity (C, I, TCC)

• Knowledge and Understanding

Students will:
8.1.5 analyze the effects of cultural isolation during the Edo period by exploring and reflecting
upon the following questions and issues:
• In what ways did Japan isolate itself from the rest of the world? (PADM, LPP, CC)

• How did isolation during the Edo period lead to changes in Japan? (CC, PADM)
• How did the changes resulting from isolation affect Japan economically, politically and
socially during the Edo period? (ER, PADM, CC, I)
• How did the physical geography of Japan affect its worldview? (LPP, PADM, TCC)
• How did the shogun use the feudal system and the hierarchical social classes to maintain control of Japan? (PADM, CC)

8.1.6 analyze the effects that rapid adaptation had on traditionally isolated Japan during the
Meiji period by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
• What were the motivations for the radical changes in Japan’s model of organization during
the Meiji period? (ER, CC, PADM)

• How did Japan adapt to changes brought on by the transition from feudal to modern models
of organization? (CC, TCC, I)
• How did the changes resulting from adaptation affect Japan economically, politically and
socially during the Meiji period? (ER, CC, PADM)

• In what ways did changes resulting from isolation in the Edo period compare to changes
resulting from adaptation in the Meiji period? (CC, TCC, I)

• What challenges emerged for the Japanese in maintaining traditional cultural aspects of their society while undergoing rapid change? (CC, I, TCC)