Meiji Shrine hosts tanka gathering on 18 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 08:00 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Meiji Shrine (Meiji-jingu) in Tokyo hosts its 155th tanka gathering on 18 October 2026, linking a public poetry programme with the shrine's autumn grand festival. The event is scheduled at the main sanctuary and the S???, giving visitors two distinct locations within the precinct.
Meiji Shrine sets its tanka programme for 18 October
The shrine's official announcement names the event as the 155th Meiji Shrine Tanka Gathering. At 10am on 18 October 2026, a recitation ceremony will take place at the main sanctuary. The programme continues at 1pm with the tanka meeting at the S???.
The afternoon programme includes the announcement of prize-winning poems, an awards presentation and judges' comments. It also includes the eleventh session of a continuing lecture series on family poetry by modern and contemporary poets. The organiser identifies Hiroshi Yoshikawa as the lecturer. The official event announcement says that visitors will receive a collection of the presented poems.
The gathering was announced as part of the autumn grand festival programme. The official notice states that attendance at the meeting does not require a participation fee, while the poems submitted for the competition had to be previously unpublished and limited to one poem per person. The submission deadline was 28 August 2026, so the October programme is the part relevant to visitors now.
Meiji Shrine connects modern poetry with a 1920 foundation
The precinct was completed on 1 November 1920 and is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The shrine's forest was created with 100,000 trees donated from across Japan, according to the custodian's account of its establishment. That history gives the 18 October ceremony a setting shaped by both religious practice and a century of public commemoration.
Most of the shrine complex was destroyed in air raids in 1945, while the forest survived. The buildings were revived to almost their former grandeur in 1958. The custodian's history of the shrine records these dates and the role of voluntary work in the original precinct.
The programme's two venues also show how the event uses the site. The morning recitation is placed at the main sanctuary, the central religious building, while the afternoon gathering moves to the S??? for readings, awards and discussion. It is therefore not a single performance at one stage, but a scheduled sequence across the shrine grounds.
Visiting Meiji Shrine: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The tanka programme takes place on 18 October 2026: the recitation ceremony is at the main sanctuary at 10am, followed by the tanka meeting at the S??? at 1pm.
- The event is part of the shrine's autumn grand festival programme. Visitors should follow signs and staff directions between the sanctuary and the S???, as the official notice gives them as separate venues.
- The shrine stands at 1-1 Yoyogi Kamizono-cho in Shibuya City, Tokyo. The official access page lists the site and directs visitors to the entrances serving the surrounding railway stations, including Harajuku, Yoyogi and Sangubashi.
- The approach from an entrance to the main shrine buildings takes at least another ten minutes after the station-to-entrance walk. The forest paths and the long approach are part of the visit.
- Japan's official language is Japanese and its national currency is the yen.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Meiji Shrine
When does the tanka gathering take place at Meiji Shrine?
The 155th tanka gathering takes place on 18 October 2026. Its recitation ceremony begins at 10am and the main meeting begins at 1pm.
Where is Meiji Shrine and how do you get there?
Meiji Shrine is at 1-1 Yoyogi Kamizono-cho in Shibuya City, Tokyo. The official access information covers entrances linked with Harajuku, Yoyogi and Sangubashi railway stations.
What is Meiji Shrine?
It is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The precinct was completed on 1 November 1920 and rebuilt in 1958 after wartime destruction.
