TokyoNov2004/898_9861On our second day here, Tom took me to see the Meiji Shrine. If you look through the photos from Tom’s first trip here, there are a number of pictures of the Shrine. (Though, there may be a few more coming.) Just a few steps from the subway stop is the entrance to the shrine. The path to the shrine is wide (about the equivalent of a 3 or 4 lane street) and is made of gravel. The custodians there have special brooms and are in a constant sweeping battle against the falling autumn leaves. The shrine is surrounded by dense woods and gardens. They shelter the area from the noise of the city and, from within, you lose yourself in a world of nature. It is so easy to forget that you’re still in the middle of a city.

On the day that we went, the shrine was hosting a chrysanthemum festival ceremony. The chrysanthemum is the official flower representing the royal family. Along the path to the shrine were tents filled with specially grown, impeccable specimens of chrysanthemums ranging in color from white to dark orange and from gargantuan to bonsai. Hundreds of people were in the shrine for the ceremony, and news crews were present.

(Insert note from palm pilot)

After going through the breathtaking gardens, and we took a quick peek in the shrine itself.

We saw worshippers paying respect to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, whose souls are supposedly enshrined there. First, they go to a fountain and wash their hands – first the right and then the left – and mouth. Then, they go into the shrine and throw some coins into the coffer. They bow twice, clap their hands twice, meditate for a moment, and bow again.

Outside of the shrine is a wall where worshippers can place their requests. They purchase little wooden plaques, write down their requests, and tie them with a red ribbon to pegs. Most of the plaques offer thanksgiving to the emperor and then make their request known. Common themes include world peace, health/healing, love or fertility, and financial gain. One though, that we couldn’t help but take a picture of, was from a child who wanted to be Spiderman.

While a Christian can greatly appreciate how even pagans benefit from common grace, and how God has allowed such perfect beauty to grow in the gardens at the shrine, and how He wills to actively holds up the massive structure of the shrine itself together, it is at the same time quite overwhelmingly sad to see such a misplaced tribute from mankind. It was heartbreaking to watch as parents would bring their children – little boys in traditional suits, and little girls in their traditional kimonos – to be blessed by, bow to and pray to their false gods.

Related verses:

Exodus 20:3-6 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Exodus 23:24 “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their {sacred} pillars in pieces. But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.”

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good, and sends rain on {the} righteous and {the} unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

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