Meiji Jingu Shrine I

The Meiji Jingu Shrine is one of the most famous in Tokyo proper. Located directly west of the Harajuku station on the JR Yamanote line, it is north of Shibuya and south of Shinjuku. See a satellite photograph.

I went on a busy, hot day. Even with the usual Japanese crowds, the location was too extensive to ever feel crowded. To understand the scale of the shrine, to the left is a photograph of one of many structures (I don't know the word for these) that guide visitors through the long walk to the center of the shrine. The people are tiny in comparison!

Also, for a city "bombed flat" (to borrow an expression from Richard Robinson) during World War II (or the Pacific War, as the Japanese call it), the trees are giant. Considering the planned state of most things in Japan, especially Tokyo, perhaps they were transplanted from alpine ranges far away. More likely, the United States left these forests alone during the War.