Dispatches from Japan: Meiji Jingu’s Burgundy barrels

Meiji Jingu, built in memory of Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), is transcendently beautiful, even in the pouring rain. The day after I arrived in Tokyo this week, I spent part of the morning walking around Yoyogi Park and touring the grounds of the shrine.

After paying my respects (bow, bow, clap, clap, bow) and getting my goshuinchō stamped, I spotted a rack full of barrels. Gevrey-Chambertin? Meursault? Japanese love for wine notwithstanding, what were Burgundy barrels doing at a shrine? The answer lay in a bit of wine history that I was totally unaware of before visiting Meiji Jingu.

Emperor Meiji, known in life as Mutsuhito, was known for his enjoyment of western culture, including wine —and, in particular, Burgundy. Since 2006, a number of Burgundy producers have donated barrels of wine every year to the shrine. The wine sits opposite straw-wrapped barrels of saké, donated by a consortium of saké brewers in appreciation of the late emperor’s support of domestic industry.

You can find Meiji Jingu in Yoyogikamizonochō, Shibuya. The shrine’s web site with directions and visiting information can be found here.