Hie Jinja

Last week Raku and I went to Hie Jinja, one of the larger shrines in Akasaka - and one of the more important shrines in Tokyo I later learned.  Hie Jinja was built in either the 1400's or 1500's and moved a couple of times during the Tokugawa Shogunate.  It has remained government supported until today (though it no longer receives as much support as it did before WWII).  Parts of it have been rebuilt to be quite modern, and though it dates back many centuries it does not have the ancient and secluded feel that some of my favorite shrines do.  When we got there I realized I didn't have a memory card in my camera, so apologies for the quality of the iphone photos.  

The only shrine I've seen with an escalator

Hard to forget you're in the middle of Tokyo

The skyscrapers seem to overshadow everything

Despite that, the inside was quite beautiful.

Oops, you can see our shadows

The intricately painted ceiling was beautiful

But the best part of the temple we were surprised to find when we wandered out what we thought was the back was a staircase of tori gates.

So beautiful and peaceful

Taking pictures of each other taking pictures

Hie Jinja

Hours: open during daylight hours

Address: 2-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Map