Yasukuni Shrine

As with many war monuments the Yasukuni Shrine is a controversial yet beautiful Shinto shrine. The shrine is dedicated to all soldiers that lost their lives in the service of Japan. A noble shrine, but it also has a controversial nature. As among the list of soldiers some war criminals can be found. The shrine’s museum aims to give a neutral presentation of the history. But critics claim the museum does give a biased view of history, as to only speak good of the dead, which does not fall in good earth with everyone.

This dualistic nature of the Shinto shrine makes it an interesting travel object. So for historical travelers it’s certainly an interesting place to see in Tokyo. Over two and a half million soldiers are honored at the shrine. So as you can imagine the Japanese have created a beautiful spiritual building complex, with a two story wartime museum, multiple Torii gates, an abundance of cherry blossom trees and a calming pond where people can reflect upon the past.