Meiji-Jingu

The Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Founded around 90 years ago, it contains both shrine and a huge forest made through the donation of 100,000 trees from all over Japan and overseas and the volunteer effors of the Tokyo locals. As the info booklet says, now the forest is so well grown that you can't tell whether it is naturally occuring or planned. Being right off a subway stop, walking into it was pretty awe inspiring. One minute you're underneath an overpass, and the next you're entering beautiful green space. Walking through the entrance gate was like a big welcoming hug from the forest itself. As we walked through, we made our way to the shrine where we were lucky enough to witness a wedding as well as a performance of the Koto, by a group of beautifully dressed older women. The performance was in honor of the dieties for the Spring Grand Festival. Listening to the women play in the middle of the shrine in the middle of the forest in the middle of busy buzzing Tokyo was really mystical. It put me, and I think the whole crowd in a bit of a daze as we listened for half an hour or so. Afterward, I wrote a prayer for the prayer box, and we went over to the garden grounds inside the forest area. The azaleas were starting to bloom and the irises were growing, surrounding a pond that was home to lots and lots of huge carp and some really cute turtles. The garden was made before the shrine and the forest, for the Empress to wander in and "give her fresh energy".
The emperor and empress were waka poets. Here are a sample of their poems:

The morning sun
Rises so splendidly
Into the sky;
Oh, that we could attain
Such a clear reviving soul!
~Emperor Meiji

If we are guided
By these human hearts of ours
And feel no shame,
Then others in the world
May speak of what they will.
~Empress Shoken