This building is the Kaguraden, where devotees can receive blessings or participate in Shinto rituals. Kigansai are held here regularly at 9.30 a.m. A kagura, or sacred music and dance performance called the yamato mai, which is unique to Meiji Jingu, is performed as an offering to the kami. Kigansai would include a baby’s first shrine visit and a child’s shichi-go-san, a celebratory occasion held in November for girls turning three or seven and boys turning five. Kigansai are also held to ward off evil, usually at a specific age (25 or 42 for men, 19 or 33 for women).
The building was completed in 1993 and has three floors, two of them underground. The main ceremony hall on the ground level can accommodate up to 800 people. Please note that entry to the Kaguraden is reserved for those taking part in a ceremony. Vermillion shrine seals or goshuin are available in the Kaguraden as a token of your visit to the shrine. These are usually entered into a goshuincho, a book dedicated to goshuin.