by Jen Ruhl
It has become a tradition since coming to Japan for my husband (Dale) and I to spend Culture Day at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. The Autumn Grand Festival is held on Culture Day, and Dale's Yagyu Shingan-ryu club always participates in the martial arts demonstration event.
Almost every kind of martial art practiced in Japan has a representative at the Festival. These demonstrations are just that - demonstrations. The participants don't spar. Instead, you get to see the perfected techniques of the highest-ranking members of the sports (and some of the techniques of their lowly students). And you get to hear all the funny noises they make.
As for me, I become very bored of watching aikido and karate demonstrations after some time. Luckily, there was also horseback archery and regular archery. Big crowds always form along the horseback archery lane, and people camp out along it to make sure they get a good view of their favorite archers!
Since Dale's club was participating, I didn't have a chance to check out much of the other stuff going on at the Shrine. However, there was some pretty cool drumming going on near the souvenir stand! I was giving my feet and back a rest on a bench there, just enjoying the music, and a cute old couple started feeding me apples and telling me of their love for MacArthur.
If you're staying in Japan for another year, I definitely recommend that you check out the Autumn Grand Festival. Lots of other events take place at the Meiji Shrine during the Festival, and of course throughout the year. As a general rule, you can expect that the Shrine has an event on every national holiday. To see what's going on next, visit the Shrine's website.
If you're looking for something to do at Golden Week, keep the Spring Grand Festival in mind. Then you can see demonstrations of traditional dance, music, and theater. And maybe some old people will give you apples.
The Meiji Shrine is located very close to Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line. A popular shopping street is also located nearby, so you can easily spend an entire day in the area!