Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens (Meiji Jingu Gai-en)

Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens (Meiji Jingu Gai-en) Review

This rare expanse of open space is devoted to outdoor sports of all sorts. The Yakult Swallows play at Jingu Baseball Stadium (13 Kasumigaoka. 03/3404-8999); the Japanese baseball season runs from April to October. The main venue of the 1964 Summer Olympics, National Stadium (10 Kasumigaoka. 03/3403-1151) now hosts soccer matches. Some of the major World Cup matches were played here when Japan cohosted the event with Korea in autumn 2002. The Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery (Kaigakan, 1-1 Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku-ku, Aoyama. 03/3401-5179), across the street from the National Stadium, doesn't hold much interest unless you're a fan of Emperor Meiji and don't want to miss some 80 otherwise undistinguished paintings depicting events in his life. It's open daily 9-5 and costs ¥500.