We also visited a large Shinto shrine which is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, who ruled Japan in the late 1800's and early 1900's and who is credited for welcoming Western knowledge and influence into the country while still maintaing Japanese culture. Over the new year holiday, Japanese visit shrines all over the country to pray to ancestors and make wishes for the new year. We joined thousands of Japanese walking through the garden surrounding Meiji Shrine towards the central building. Along the way we saw large barrels of wine and sake (Japanese rice wine) that are donated to the shrine - thousands, if not millions, of dollars worth of expensive alcohol.
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