Tokyo: General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, yesterday visited the Meiji Shrine to learn about the history and life of the great Emperor as part of his two-day state visit to Japan.
Emperor Meiji (November 3, 1852-July 30, 1912), or Meiji the Great was the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death on July 30, 1912. He presided over a time of rapid change in the Empire of Japan, as the nation quickly changed into a world power, characterised by Japan’s industrial revolution. By the time of his death in 1912, Japan had undergone a political, social, and industrial revolution at home and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage.
General Shaikh Mohammad was informed about the shrine building at Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the spirit of Emperor Meiji. Construction began in 1915 and completed in 1920. Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 700,000 square metres (about 175 acres). This area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established. The forest is visited by many as a recreation and relaxation area in the centre of Tokyo.
General Shaikh Mohammad, who was accompanied by Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court; and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, took a tour of the shrine which is composed of two major areas.
