Shintō belief tells us that all manner of natural forms possess spiritual qualities. I like to think that Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and the 70 hectares of thickly forested land that surround it have an abundance of spiritual energy. It’s a calming oasis in the heart of of a bustling city. The air here is crisper, the minutes slower, the spaces quieter.

Meiji Jingū, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, evokes the architecture of traditional Shintō shrine but was originally built in the early 20th Century. The shrine we know is a later construction, built in the 1950s to replace the original complex that was destroyed during the Second World War.

JULY, 2014