Japan Travel Guide

photo credit: RachelH_

photo credit: RachelH_

Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shōken in 1914, the Japanese people wished to pay their respects to the two influential Japanese figures.

Sometime, you can come across Japanese traditional wedding ceremony at Meiji Shrine. If you want to see Japanese traditional wedding ceremony at Meiji Shrine, you should go there on Saturday or Sunday.

[history]

After the emperor’s death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had been known to visit was chosen as the building’s location.

Construction began in 1915, and the shrine was built in the traditional Nagarezukuri style and is made up primarily of Japanese cypress and copper. It was formally dedicated in 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926. Until 1946, the Meiji Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha, meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.
The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October, 1958.
Meiji Shrine was brought into the flow of current events with the 2009 visit of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After arriving in Tokyo on her first foreign trip representing the newly elected President Barack Obama, she made her way to this shrine in advance of meetings with Japan’s leaders to show her “respect toward history and the culture of Japan.”
In January 2010, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle demonstrated the same respect when he concluded his visit to Japan with a visit of the shrine.

Quote : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Shrine

• Station : Harajuku (JR Yamanote Line /Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line) or MeijiJinguMae(Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line)
  • Check your transfer : http://tokyo-subway.net/english/index.html

Shibuya Club KINOTO

• Station : Shibuya
• Music Category : AllGenre, etc
• Shop hour : depend on event
• Shop Holiday : -
• TEL : 03-3780-101
• Address : Dai 2 Okazaki Bldg B1F,  3-3 Sakuraoka-Cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
• more info :  http://kinoto.jp/pc/index.html

Fai Aoyama

• Station : Omotesando
• Music Category : AllGenre, etc
• Shop hour : All night
• Shop Holiday : -
• TEL : 03-3486-4910
• Address : Hachihonkan Bldg B1,2F,  5-10-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
• more info : http://www.fai-aoyama.com

The Ruby Room

good people, good music and delicious drinks.

• Station : Shibuya
• Music Category : AllGenre, etc
• Shop hour : All night
• Shop Holiday : Sunday, National Holiday
• TEL : 03-3780-3022
• Address : Kasumi Bldg., Dogenzaka 2-25-17, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
• more info : http://www.rubyroomtokyo.com/

Nishiazabu Alife

Roppongi area features numerous bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, restaurants, hostess clubs, cabarets, and other forms of entertainment. Among the expatriate community, the area tends to be favored by business people, students, and off-duty US military personnel. Overall, the neighborhood caters to a younger crowd. Alife is one of the most famous nightclub in Roppongi.

• Station : Roppongi (7min walk from Roppongi station)
• Category : House, HipHop, R&B Regge, Allmix
• Shop hour : weekday 18:00 – 4:00 / weekend 18:00 – 5:00
• Event Schedule : http://www.e-alife.net/schedule/index.html
• more info : http://www.e-alife.net/

photo credit: kalleboo

From Haneda Airport to Shibuya, we recommend to use Keikyu Line.

• Keikyu Line & JR Yamanote Line
  • You have to change trains at Shinagawa station for Shibuya (change JR Yamanote Line)
  • Fares: ¥560
  • Duration: 52min

Check the Route from Haneda Airport to Shibuya

photo credit: ames sf

We recommend following hotels.

Follwoing Every hotel is nearby Shibuya station, and staffs can speak English very well. Check those hotels and nice stay in Shibuya!

• 5star hotel
  • Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel Tokyo
  • Hyatt Regency Hotel Tokyo
• 3star hotel
  • Shibuya Tokyu Inn Tokyo
  • Mets Shibuya Hotel Tokyo

If you don’t like those hotels, find your hotel here.

• http://hotels.tavii.com/en/

If you want to stay hostel in Tokyo, find your hostel here.

• http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html

photo credit: hirotomo

From Narita Airport to Shibuya, we recommend to use Keisei Skyliner, because cheaper than others.

• Keisei Skyliner
  • You have to change trains at Nippori station for Shibuya (change JR Yamanote Line)
  • Fares: ¥2,110(¥1,920 From Narita Airport to Nippori + ¥190 From Nippori to Shibuya)
  • Duration: 85min
  • more info http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/keisei_us/top.html

• Narita Express
  • Fares: Adult ¥3,110
  • Duration: 80min
  • more info http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/index.html

Airport Limousine

• Fares: Adult ¥3,000  Child ¥1,500 (one way)
• Duration: 75min-105min
• more info http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/

photo credit: shibuya246

From the latest trends to underground styles, Shibuya is an exporter of youth culture. It’s a town that’s always on the move and with so much to see and do, that makes you think it’s like one huge amusement park.

Shibuya is the trendsetter for the entire country. Weekdays, weekends, noon, and night, Shibuya is always bustling with many people. The key players in this crowd are young people in their teens and twenties, who gather here and search for the latest trends in the unique shops that line the streets. There’s always an air of excitement in Shibuya.

Shibuya is the gathering place for many of Tokyo’s youthful citizens. Shibuya’s many shops range from mega stores such as Tower Records and HMV, to small, independent stores, and offer a wealth of musical, visual, and other entertainment information from Japan and around the world.