Six guided Meiji Shrine tours compared on price, length, what else they cover and when they start, from a $15 ninety-minute walk to early-morning tours that add Asakusa and Shibuya.
What You Should Know
- A guided walk through the forest to Meiji Jingu, Tokyo's best-known Shinto shrine, explaining Shinto, the shrine's history and how to pray. The shrine-only tours run 90 minutes to two hours from Harajuku Station.
- Most start between 8:00am and 1:00pm, and the shrine closes at sunset: 4:40pm in October, 4:10pm in November and 4:00pm in December, so afternoon slots can run close to closing time.
- Entry to the shrine is free, and the tours cost $15 to $20 for the shrine alone, $20 to $64 if they add Harajuku or Shibuya, and $45 to $70 for morning tours that also take in Asakusa and Tsukiji.
- The guide is the product here, not access. The best reviews describe guides bringing old photos and stories of the imperial family; the weakest describe time lost in the gift shop and the stamp queue.
Meiji Shrine Tours: Is a Guide Worth It?
⭐ The short answer: book Japan Guide Star's 90-minute walk ($15), the best-rated and cheapest Meiji Shrine tour, with six start times daily from 8:00am. If you want the shrine and Harajuku in one go, Localized's two-hour walk ($20 on sale) adds Takeshita Street. If you only have one morning in Tokyo, GuideMe Japan's early tour covers Asakusa, Tsukiji, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya before the crowds.
| If you want | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The best shrine-only tour | Japan Guide Star | $15, 4.98 from 599 reviews, six starts daily |
| A longer shrine-only tour | Traveling Tokyo | Two hours on Shinto culture, $20, 4.98 from 554 reviews |
| Meiji Shrine plus Harajuku | Localized Walking & Food Tours | Two hours, Takeshita Street included, every review five stars |
| Meiji, Harajuku and Shibuya Crossing | gotcha | Two hours ending at Shibuya Crossing, with a crepe and a fortune slip |
| Tokyo's highlights in one morning | GuideMe Japan | Asakusa, Tsukiji, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya from 6:45am |
A Meiji Shrine tour in Tokyo costs $15 to $20 for a guided walk of the shrine alone and takes 90 minutes to two hours, starting from Harajuku Station. Meiji Jingu was established in 1920 to commemorate Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, and it sits in a 70-hectare forest between Harajuku and Shinjuku. Entry is free and the paths are easy to follow, so the reason to book a tour is the explanation: what Shinto is, why the shrine was built, how to purify your hands and pray, and what the barrels, plaques and fortune slips mean.
The six tours below split into three types: shrine-only walks, walks that continue into Harajuku or Shibuya, and morning tours that pair the shrine with Asakusa and the Tsukiji market. If you want a wider choice of Tokyo walks, our Tokyo walking tour comparison covers Asakusa, the Imperial Palace and Shibuya, and our Asakusa walking tour guide covers Tokyo's other great shrine and temple district. For the emperor's residence, our Imperial Palace tour guide compares the walks around the old Edo Castle, and if you are coming straight from the airport, our Haneda and Narita transfer comparisons cover private cars into the city. Harajuku and Shibuya are next door, and our best things to do in Shibuya guide covers them.
Japan Guide Star: Meiji Shrine Walking Tour
A 90-minute small-group walk on Shinto and the imperial system for $15, with six start times daily from 8:00am; 591 of its 599 reviews are five stars.
Book NowMeiji Shrine Tours: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Tour | Type | Price | Online Rating | Also Covers | Duration | Start Times (Daily) | Group Size | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Pick Japan Guide Star Tokyo: Meiji Shrine Walking Tour, Shintoism and Imperial System Book Now |
Shrine only | $15 (ages 1 to 12 $13) | ⭐ 5.0 (599 reviews) Read Reviews |
The imperial system | 90 minutes | 8:00am to 12:00pm hourly, 2:30pm | Up to 10 | Harajuku Station, East Exit 2 |
| Longest Shrine Tour Traveling Tokyo Tokyo: Meiji Shrine and Shinto Culture Walking Tour Book Now |
Shrine only | $20 (ages 3 to 12 $18) | ⭐ 5.0 (554 reviews) Read Reviews |
Shinto culture and etiquette | 2 hours | 9:00am, 10:00am, 12:30pm | Up to 15 | Starbucks nearest the shrine |
| All Five Stars Localized Walking & Food Tours Harajuku Meiji Shrine Walking Tour in Tokyo Book Now |
Shrine + Harajuku | $20 on sale (usually $25); under 15 $10 | ⭐ 5.0 (139 reviews) Read Reviews |
Takeshita Street, ends at Omotesando | 2 hours | 9:00am, 12:30pm | Up to 15 | Harajuku Station, West Exit |
| gotcha Tokyo Walking Tour: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya Crossing Book Now |
Shrine + Harajuku + Shibuya | $64 each for 2 to 4; $51 for 5+ | ⭐ 5.0 (58 reviews) Read Reviews |
Takeshita Street, Shibuya Crossing; fortune slip included | 2 hours | 11:00am, 1:00pm | Up to 10; ages 10+ | Harajuku Station, West Exit |
| GuideMe Japan Tokyo Early Morning Tour: Asakusa, Meiji Shrine and More Book Now |
Morning city tour | $57 for 1 to 4; $45 for 5+ | ⭐ 5.0 (82 reviews) Read Reviews |
Asakusa, Tsukiji market, Shibuya Crossing | 5 hours | 6:45am to 8:15am (4 slots) | Up to 8 | Asakusa |
| Goen Japan Tokyo Morning Tour: Meiji Shrine, Asakusa and Fish Market Book Now |
Morning city tour | $70 (minimum 2) | ⭐ 4.9 (260 reviews) Read Reviews |
Tsukiji market, Senso-ji in Asakusa | 4 hours | 8:15am, 9:15am | Up to 8; ages 4+ | Uniqlo, Harajuku |
Prices and ratings read from live operator data on October 26, 2026, per person. Five operators price in yen, converted at that day's rate, so those figures move with the exchange rate. Localized's $20 is a sale price. The two morning city tours exclude about ¥550 to ¥600 of train fares, and food is not listed as included on either. Ratings are rounded to one decimal place.
What to Expect on a Meiji Shrine Tour
- 01Start
Meet at Harajuku Station
Most tours meet at one of Harajuku Station's exits. Guides hold a sign, and several message you in advance because the station is busy.
- 02First 15 min
The torii and the forest path
Bow at the torii and walk the wide gravel path into the forest, past one of Japan's largest wooden torii.
- 03On the way
Sake barrels and wine casks
The wall of decorated sake barrels donated to the shrine, and the casks of French wine opposite, a favourite photo stop.
- 04At the shrine
Purify, pray, draw a fortune
How to rinse your hands at the water pavilion, how to pray at the main hall, and the fortune slips and wishing plaques.
- 05Alongside
Shinto and Emperor Meiji
Why the shrine was built in 1920, the Meiji era and how Japan modernised, and what Shinto means in daily life.
- 06Finish
Back to Harajuku, or onward
Shrine-only tours return toward Harajuku. Others continue to Takeshita Street, Omotesando or Shibuya Crossing.
- 01
Meet at Harajuku Station
Most tours meet at one of Harajuku Station's exits. Guides hold a sign, and several message you in advance because the station is busy.
Start - First 15 min02
The torii and the forest path
Bow at the torii and walk the wide gravel path into the forest, past one of Japan's largest wooden torii.
- 03
Sake barrels and wine casks
The wall of decorated sake barrels donated to the shrine, and the casks of French wine opposite, a favourite photo stop.
On the way - At the shrine04
Purify, pray, draw a fortune
How to rinse your hands at the water pavilion, how to pray at the main hall, and the fortune slips and wishing plaques.
- 05
Shinto and Emperor Meiji
Why the shrine was built in 1920, the Meiji era and how Japan modernised, and what Shinto means in daily life.
Alongside - Finish06
Back to Harajuku, or onward
Shrine-only tours return toward Harajuku. Others continue to Takeshita Street, Omotesando or Shibuya Crossing.
The shrine-only walks follow the same path from Harajuku to the main shrine and back, and the longer tours add Harajuku, Shibuya or another district afterwards. Expect wide gravel paths through the forest, a gentle walk with no steep sections, and several stops to listen.
From what we've seen in reviews, the most useful thing a guide gives you is not the history but the etiquette. Guests repeatedly say they left knowing how to bow, purify their hands and pray, and felt ready to visit other shrines on their own for the rest of the trip. Most people don't realize how much a first visit misses without that: one recent guest wrote that on their own they would have walked straight to the shrine, collected a stamp and left. That is why we'd book this early in a trip rather than at the end.
Best Meiji Shrine Tours in Tokyo
Six tours, ordered by how confidently we would book them for a visit to Meiji Shrine. Every one rates 4.9 or 5.0, so the scores separate almost nothing. What separates them is length, what else they cover, and how early they start.
Japan Guide Star: Meiji Shrine Walking Tour
Ninety minutes from Harajuku Station through the forest and under one of Japan's largest wooden torii to the main shrine, where you can pray and draw a fortune slip, with the guide explaining Shinto and Japan's imperial system along the way. At $15 it is the cheapest tour here, and with 591 five-star reviews out of 599 it has the strongest record. Six start times daily, from 8:00am to a 2:30pm slot, make it the easiest to fit in. Recent guests describe guides who bring photos and slides of the imperial family, message ahead to help you find the meeting point in a busy station, and introduce the group to one another at the start. Its one criticism, from a December 2025 guest, is depth: about 40 minutes of that tour went on the gift shop and the queue for the shrine's calligraphy stamp. Recent guests see the same stops differently, crediting guides who helped them get a goshuin stamp for their temple book and pointed out which souvenirs are worth buying, so we'd tell the guide early which of those you want. One recent pair on a 9:00am slot had the guide to themselves, and guests often leave with tips for lunch and other shrines to visit. In November and December, the 2:30pm slot finishes close to the shrine's 4:00pm to 4:10pm closing time, so a morning start is the safer choice.
Check availabilityTraveling Tokyo: Meiji Shrine and Shinto Culture
Two hours at the shrine alone, half an hour longer than our pick, with more time for Shinto ritual, the shrine's symbolism and etiquette. It starts at the Starbucks nearest the shrine, with a guide holding a sign with the lead traveller's name, at 9:00am, 10:00am or 12:30pm. Rated 5.0 from 554 reviews, 542 of them five stars and none below four. Recent guests say the two hours pass quickly, that guides take photos for the group, and that many leave with recommendations for the rest of the day. We'd choose it over our pick if you want the extra time on Shinto itself rather than a shorter, wider overview that includes the imperial system.
Check availabilityLocalized Walking & Food Tours: Harajuku Meiji Shrine
Two hours that start at the shrine's first torii and the wall of decorated sake barrels, take in the main shrine, then walk into Harajuku, along Takeshita Street and on to Omotesando. Every one of its 139 reviews is five stars, and its $20 price is a sale from the usual $25, with under-15s at $10. Guests describe guides who bring old photographs of Tokyo, a pace that suited older relatives, and good tours in rain and summer heat. One recent guest felt they did not need a guide for the Harajuku shopping streets, which is fair: the shrine half is where the guide earns the fee. Starts at 9:00am and 12:30pm from Harajuku Station's West Exit.
Check availabilitygotcha: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya Crossing
Two hours from Harajuku Station through the shrine, along Takeshita Street and on foot to Shibuya Crossing, finishing at a viewpoint over the crossing. Your fortune slip at the shrine is included, and several guests mention a crepe on Takeshita Street as part of the tour. It needs at least two people and is priced accordingly: $64 each for two to four, $51 each for five or more, ages 10 and up. Guests often describe it as a private tour with one or two guides who adapt the route, and one saw a ceremony at the shrine because the guide stopped for it. Rated 5.0 from 58 reviews. It is the dearest walk here; book it if Shibuya Crossing is on your list and you would rather not navigate there yourself. We wouldn't choose it for a solo traveller: the two-person minimum means paying for a second place, and the shrine-only walks cover Meiji Jingu just as well for a third of the price or less.
Check availabilityGuideMe Japan: Tokyo Early Morning Tour
The earliest start here, between 6:45am and 8:15am in Asakusa, then Senso-ji, the Tsukiji outer market, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya Crossing by train, finishing at the Hachiko statue. Listed at five hours; guests describe closer to six. The early start is the point: several say it beat the crowds and the heat at Senso-ji and Meiji Shrine, and guides teach you to use the trains as you go. Rated 5.0 from 82 reviews, 81 of them five stars, with families and teenagers among recent guests. Train fares of about ¥600 and food at Tsukiji are extra. $57 each for up to four, $45 for five or more.
Check availabilityGoen Japan: Tokyo Morning Tour
Four hours from Harajuku at 8:15am or 9:15am: Meiji Shrine first, then the Tsukiji outer market and Senso-ji in Asakusa, finishing at Asakusa Station. Rated 4.9 from 260 reviews, with recent guests praising a well-paced morning that suits slow walkers. Two cautions. Food at Tsukiji is not listed as included, though the listing talks up sushi and street food, so budget for it, along with about ¥550 in train fares. And three reviews from March and April 2026 describe new guides who knew little about the sites; recent reviews are strong again. It needs at least two people.
Check availabilityPrices per person, read from live operator data on October 26, 2026; yen prices converted at that day's rate.
Meiji Shrine Opening Hours and When to Go
Meiji Jingu opens at sunrise and closes at sunset every day of the year, and entry is free. Some facilities inside keep shorter hours, mainly 9:00am to 4:00pm, according to the shrine.
| Month | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| October | 5:40am | 4:40pm |
| November | 6:10am | 4:10pm |
| December | 6:40am | 4:00pm |
| January | 6:40am | 4:20pm |
| April | 5:10am | 5:50pm |
| June to July | 5:00am | 6:20pm to 6:30pm |
Hours from Meiji Jingu's official website, checked October 26, 2026.
Our take (go early): The forest walk is at its best before the tour groups arrive, and the tours that start at 8:00am or earlier get you there in the quietest hour. In winter the shrine closes as early as 4:00pm, so afternoon tours run close to closing time. We would book a morning slot and continue into Harajuku or Shibuya afterwards, when the shopping streets have woken up.
Where Meiji Shrine Tours Meet (Map)
Five of the six tours meet around JR Harajuku Station, at the southern edge of the shrine forest, though at different exits: Japan Guide Star at East Exit 2, Localized and gotcha at the West Exit, Traveling Tokyo at the Starbucks nearest the shrine, and Goen Japan at the Uniqlo opposite the station. GuideMe Japan's early tour meets in Asakusa, across the city, and reaches the shrine later in the morning. The map shows Harajuku Station, the shrine, Takeshita Street and the other stops these tours use.
What a Meiji Shrine Tour Costs
The shrine itself is free, so the price of a tour is almost entirely the guide. The six here cost $15 to $70 per person, depending mainly on how much else they cover.
Shrine only
Japan Guide Star's 90-minute walk at $15 and Traveling Tokyo's two-hour walk at $20. The cheapest way to understand the shrine rather than just see it.
Shrine and Harajuku or Shibuya
Localized at $20 on sale for the shrine and Takeshita Street, and gotcha at $64 each for two, falling to $51 for five or more, with a walk to Shibuya Crossing.
Morning city tours
GuideMe Japan at $57 for up to four or $45 for five or more, and Goen Japan at $70, each adding Asakusa and the Tsukiji market. Train fares and food are extra on both.
At the shrine
Optional extras on any tour: a coin offering when you pray, a fortune slip, a wishing plaque or a calligraphy stamp in a stamp book. gotcha includes the fortune slip.
Prices per person, read from live operator data on October 26, 2026; yen prices converted at that day's rate.
Our Take
The pattern we keep seeing is that the shrine-only walks are rated as highly as anything in Tokyo, because the forest and the shrine reward someone who explains them, while the multi-stop morning tours live or die by how experienced the guide is. If the shrine is the point, book a shrine-only walk; if you want to tick off Tokyo, book the morning tour and accept a lighter touch at each stop.
Tips for Booking a Meiji Shrine Tour
- Book a morning slot. The shrine closes at sunset, as early as 4:00pm in December, and the forest is quietest first thing.
- Check which exit you meet at. Harajuku Station has several, and the tours here use at least three different meeting points around it.
- Bring a few hundred yen in coins. For the offering box, a fortune slip or a wishing plaque. Entry itself is free.
- Ask about the calligraphy stamp. If you want the shrine's stamp in a stamp book, say so; if you do not, ask the guide not to spend tour time in the queue.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The paths are gravel, and the walk to the main shrine from Harajuku is longer than it looks.
- Pair it with Harajuku or Shibuya. The shrine-only walks finish near Harajuku, so Takeshita Street, Omotesando and Shibuya are all within walking distance afterwards.
- Visiting in October? Our Tokyo in October guide covers the cooler weather that makes the long walk through the shrine forest pleasant again, alongside hotel rates night by night.
- Dress respectfully but casually. There is no dress code for visitors, and one operator notes that tattoos are welcome.
Where to Stay in Tokyo
Staying in Tokyo or planning a trip? Here are three well-reviewed hotels, with live prices from our booking system. Rooms at the best-rated hotels are usually the first to go, especially in peak season and over holidays, so it's worth locking in your stay before availability fills up.
Compare Live Tokyo Hotel Prices
Live rates for a three-night stay for two adults, checking in about a month from now. Change the dates at checkout and book with instant email confirmation.
- Instant confirmation by email
- Live rates, not brochure prices
- Free cancellation on selected rates
HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel
Rooms from the 18th floor up in the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, about 700 metres from Shinjuku Station; 9.1 on 3,823 reviews, and its 100 most recent average 9.3, with the views the most praised. There is no real lobby, and Kabukicho's nightlife is right outside.
Book now on:
hotel MONday Asakusa
A simple 3-star about 300 metres north of Senso-ji and a 3-minute walk from the Tsukuba Express; 9.4 on 2,989 reviews, with the location, staff and cleanliness most praised. The lowest rate on this list in every month we sampled; rooms are tight for three, and check-out is at 10 am.
Book now on:
The Tokyo Station Hotel
Inside the 1914 red-brick Tokyo Station building, with a spa and several restaurants; 9.5 on 2,106 reviews, and the highest recent average on this list at 9.6. By far the dearest hotel here, and some rooms overlook the tracks.
Book now on:
Estimated nightly rate for a 3-night stay, 2 adults. Final price on Expedia or Booking.com.Room only. Local taxes and fees are added at checkout and can add roughly 20%.
How We Selected These Tours
The Local Japan Guides team searched every bookable Meiji Shrine tour in Tokyo and found more than 40 listings that include the shrine, most of them with fewer than ten reviews or as a brief stop on a full-day bus tour. We limited this page to tours where Meiji Shrine is a main stop with time on foot inside, and compared price, length, what else each covers, start times, group size, ages, meeting point and review volume. We read 186 recent reviews of the six on this page, including every recent review rated three stars or below. We set a floor of 50 reviews. That left out two good-looking shrine walks with 29 and 25 reviews, and a kimono-rental shrine visit with three. We also left out full-day bus tours that stop at the shrine for a short time, and private custom tours where the shrine is one of many possible stops. One listing's web address carries a title from a product the operator has since renamed, about Tokyo panoramas and Mt Fuji views. We checked it against live operator data: the product behind it is the Meiji Shrine walk described here. Opening hours and admission come from Meiji Jingu's official website. We verified every listing against live operator data on October 26, 2026, confirming each was active, Tokyo-based and currently bookable, and we checked review recency: every tour here had reviews within the past five weeks. To be explicit about how this page is made and paid for: we have not taken these tours ourselves, and nothing here is written as though we had. Our judgements come from operator listing data and published guest reviews. Prices were read on October 26, 2026, and those in yen were converted at that day's rate, so they move with the exchange rate. Booking links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. No operator paid for inclusion, for a label, or for its position in the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Meiji Shrine tour cost?+
From $15 to $20 for a guided walk of the shrine alone, read from live operator data on October 26, 2026. Tours that add Harajuku or Shibuya cost $20 to $64, and morning tours that add Asakusa and Tsukiji cost $45 to $70. Entry to the shrine is free.
Is a guided tour of Meiji Shrine worth it?+
If you want to understand what you are seeing, yes. The shrine is free and easy to find, but the guide explains Shinto, Emperor Meiji and the rituals, from purifying your hands to praying and drawing a fortune. At $15 to $20, the shrine-only tours are some of the best-reviewed in Tokyo.
How long does a Meiji Shrine tour take?+
Ninety minutes to two hours for the shrine-only walks, two hours for tours that continue into Harajuku or Shibuya, and four to six hours for the morning city tours that add Asakusa and Tsukiji.
What are Meiji Shrine's opening hours?+
It opens at sunrise and closes at sunset every day, and entry is free. Closing time is 4:40pm in October, 4:10pm in November and 4:00pm in December, and some facilities inside close earlier, mainly at 4:00pm.
Where do Meiji Shrine tours start?+
Most start at JR Harajuku Station, at different exits: Japan Guide Star at East Exit 2, Localized and gotcha at the West Exit, and Goen Japan at the Uniqlo opposite. GuideMe Japan's early-morning tour starts in Asakusa.
What is the best time to visit Meiji Shrine?+
Early morning. The forest path is quietest in the first hours after opening, and in winter the shrine closes as early as 4:00pm. Several tours here start at 8:00am or earlier.
Can children join a Meiji Shrine tour?+
Yes. Japan Guide Star charges $13 for ages 1 to 12, Traveling Tokyo $18 for ages 3 to 12 and Localized $10 for under-15s. gotcha's tour is for ages 10 and up.
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