Autumn Festivities at Meiji Jingu Shrine

Situated at Harajuku Station, Shibuya-ku, the Meiji Shrine ((明治神宮) is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. When I first found out I had this visual image in my mind of 2 royal ghosts floating around the greenery. But all freaky things aside, it is an expansive park with scenic fixtures and plants, and the grounds for many traditional ceremonies and festivals.

 

I visited on a Sunday, totally spontaneous and random, having no clue that it was the start of the autumn festivities. I was literally spinning round and round trying to capture all sorts of scenes on my camera. There were chrysanthemums in full bloom, little children in traditional Japanese outfits, saw at least 4 weddings, musical and dance performances...omg blown away.

 

Turns out it was the day of the Shichi Go San Festival (3-5-7 Festival), an annual festival to celebrate the health and longevity of all boys (turning 3 and 7 that year) and girls (turning 5 and 7 that year). The place was teeming with them, how cute!