It’s scary to navigate your way through a new place where you instantly become a big infant—not knowing how the world operates around you. This was what I was afraid of: being on my own. It’s a lot more painful to be embarrassed on your own than to be embarrassed with a pal. But it’s also extremely thrilling how dumb I am here. Anyway, it’s all part of the fun as I made my way to Meiji Jingu, a major item on my Tokyo-ing to-do list. And by some miracle I made it. Here’s picture with me and a torii (shrine archway):
Looking back, I forgot to make a peace sign. I actually had to go back to the torii a second time to get this shot because I was extremely embarrassed using a selfie stick. (I like to keep my narcissism a secret.)
The station I used to get here was ridiculously crowded, so it was amazing how beautifully tranquil Meiji Jingu was. From what I researched, we’re not supposed to walk right in the middle of the torii since that’s where the gods would walk through. Rather, you would walk right next to the pillars, making sure to bow before entering and leaving.
Before you go into the actual shrine, it’s important to wash your hands with a dipper at the front (Temizuya). It’s quite a procedure—rinse left, right, pour water into your left hand and rinse your mouth (do I swallow the water or spit it out? I wasn’t quite sure. I swallowed.), rinse left, then rinse the dipper. It’s supposed to cleanse the mind, body, and soul before entering the shrine. I also didn’t do this right the first time, so I came back to it just to be sure; in any case, my mind, body, and soul need the extra cleansing.
The shrine also hosts many events, and I was lucky to be there when a wedding was happening. It looked fancy—they had a huge umbrella that screamed fancy. Here’s a picture:
I also bought some stuff here. I was wondering what souvenirs I could get some friends and family, but then I saw “a charm for soundness of mind and body” that cost 800 yen so I was like, maybe I’ll just get this for myself. I’m sorry, friends and family, but all of you should know how desperate I am for such soundness.
There’s also a place to hook an ema, a wooden tablet onto which wishes may be written. Here’s a picture of all the tablets people wished upon:
You wish for things like world peace and global harmony, but it also cost 500 yen to buy the tablet, so I thought I’d do it later.
Oh, but for 100 yen I got a fortune-telling poem, omikuji. These poems were written by Emperor Meiji or Empress Shooken. “It is hoped that the poem’s message will have particular meaning for you.” I think I got a good one! What do you think?
Kyle, the stone piercer.
I also paid 500 yen to go to the Meiji Jingu Inner Garden where I saw the Kiyomasa no Ido (Kiyomasa’s Well). It’s a famous well that delivers spring water at a constant temperature year round, “feeling warm in winter and cool in summer.” The water is thought of as pure, so people who go to it dip their hand into the water as some sort of blessing.
So, as you can see, I’m really collecting an abundance of spiritual energy. At the end of this, I was so knackered. I took a break at Takeshita street to get a really good crepe.
Kawaii Kyle 