Tokyo Daijingu is a peaceful shrine with beautiful architecture just a short walk from Iidabashi Station. You might be surprised when entering the precinct: 90% of visitors are women! Why? Well, let me explain the reason.

You don’t need to travel far

During the Edo period (1603-1868), it was everyone’s dream to go on a pilgrimage to the Grand Shrine of Ise (Ise Jingu Shrine) at least once in their lifetime. The Grand Shrine of Ise is where the primary Shinto deities are enshrined. But traveling wasn’t as easy then, so this big dream stayed unfulfilled for most.

Later in the Meiji period (1868-1912), a new (Ise-branched) shrine was built in Tokyo, making it possible to worship the deities from afar without having to travel to Ise. For that reason, the shrine is called “O-Ise-sama in Tokyo”.

Beautiful architecture

Tokyo Daijingu’s main hall is built in an architectural style called Shinmei-tsukuri, which is the traditional architecture for Japanese shrines. It looks exactly like the Ise Shrine. When you look at the roof from the side, you can see that it is “X”-shaped. Nowadays, the logs on the roof are just for decoration, but in the past, these logs functioned as a weight to keep the roof in place.

Love is in the air

Tokyo Daijingu is said to be a so-called power spot for bringing people together, such as through love and marriage. This is because Tokyo Daijingu is a place where all three deities “connecting things and people” are enshrined in one place. Therefore many people come to the shrine praying for good connections, work relations, and private relationships.

If you look closely at the worshipers, you’ll see women only. (That doesn’t mean that you can’t worship here as a man!)
Anyways, good luck to everyone!

So if you are staying in Tokyo, why don’t you visit “Ise” in Tokyo? You might even find love!

Tokyo Daijingu (Tokyo Grand Shrine)

http://www.tokyodaijingu.or.jp/syoukai/index.html
2-4-1 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ZLDWWndUAPTY9o629