Meiji shrine - we visited last April
Hello, It’s been quite a while, but I’d like to share an episode from April 2026, when I accompanied overseas Reiki Shihans on a walk centered around Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo.
The main reason they came to Japan in April was to attend a Reiki retreat-style workshop in Chiba. (Details of that event are shared separately ↓)
I was born and raised in Tokyo, a true Tokyoite in Japanese through my twenties. My grandmother was also born in Tokyo, so you could say I was an Edokko (江戸っ子、child of Edo).
(But since my twenties, I married and moved to Hong Kong, and now I’ve spent half my life living there.)
Because I haven’t lived in Tokyo for so long, I’ve lost touch with what’s trendy, and I can’t quite keep up with the latest language anymore.
Still, even from Hong Kong, thanks to Kindle and the internet, I enjoy plenty of anime and manga—being an otaku doesn’t depend on location!
Anyway, setting that aside, I realized something: after leaving Japan and living abroad, I began to see Japan’s beauty more clearly. Many people living overseas rediscover Japan’s greatness and feel a deep affection for their hometowns—that may be why.
I hadn’t studied Reiki before moving to Hong Kong, nor did I learn it out of a desire to honor Japanese tradition. (Even today, not many people recognize Reiki as part of Japan’s traditional culture, sadly.) But the more I studied, the more naturally I became curious about Japan’s history and traditions connected to Reiki.
When you learn Usui Reiki through attunement courses, you also discover its historical side—how it was practiced in the Meiji era, about 100 years ago in Japan. One aspect of Usui Reiki included reading the Gyosei (poems composed by Emperor Meiji).
That’s why I decided to visit Meiji Jingu with the overseas Reiki Shihans.
At Meiji Jingu, the omikuji (fortune slips) aren’t the usual “great blessing” or “good luck,” but rather Gyosei themselves. You’ll also find inscriptions of these poems throughout the shrine grounds. Walking together and reflecting on their meaning felt fascinating.
Do you know what Gyosei are?
They are writings, poems, or artworks personally created by emperors or members of the imperial family (excluding official decrees). Generally, the term refers to waka poems composed by emperors. At poetry gatherings, the Empress’s poems are called Miuta, and those of other imperial family members are simply O-uta. Sometimes Gyosei is read as Ōmiuta (“great poem”) in Japanese.
-Definition from Wikipedia
The overseas Reiki Shihans may each have had different impressions, but here are a few highlights that stood out to me personally:
1. Kiyomasa’s Well (清正の井戸）
Deep inside Meiji Jingu, beyond a paid entry area, lies the famous Kiyomasa’s Well. Rumor has it that setting its photo as your phone wallpaper brings wealth—really?!
As we walked deeper inside, we felt a heavy weight pressing on our bodies. Perhaps it was partly the fatigue of long travel from their home countries, but it was strong enough that we decided to sit and practice some breathing exercises.
Afterward, we felt lighter and continued until we reached the well. Standing before it, I sensed energy not flowing toward me, but rather pulling me inward. That reminded me of something:
The ley line stretching from Kashima Shrine in Chiba to Takachiho in Miyazaki in Japan.
Research shows Kiyomasa’s Well is a “horizontal well,” dug sideways rather than vertically.
That only reinforced my feeling that it connects somewhere unseen.
It reminded me of the story of Kūkai(空海), who used a staff to locate hot spring sources. Recently, a Reiki student from the UK told me about people who can locate underground water using rods—like dowsing. Apparently, it’s even officially recognized in some countries.
Dowsing uses Y- or L-shaped rods or pendulums to find underground water, mineral veins, or even people. It’s said to succeed with 80–90% accuracy, and advanced practitioners can even do “map dowsing” using only maps.
Stories like this show how forerunners used geography and energy to sustain life—bridging the mystical and the practical.
2. Foreigners Collecting “EP”
Another amusing moment: one overseas Reiki Shihan carefully collected goshuin (shrine stamps). The line at Meiji Jingu’s goshuin office was as long as Disneyland!
It reminded me of my late mother, who also collected goshuin, leaving blank pages in her book.
They kept saying “EP, EP,” and I wondered what they meant. Turns out they call stamps “EP” because the kanji for “印” (seal) looks like the letters E and P.
Clever, isn’t it?
They are the overseas Reiki shihans studied Usui Reiki through the Japan Reiki Association’s curriculum, completed the teacher training, and became Reiki Shihans—some of my few Reiki students. Of course, there are more and other Reiki Shihans abroad affiliated with our Association too, those couldn't join this time.
I heard that some foreigners believe they must go to Japan to learn Reiki, but often they can’t find it once here. That’s why I was so glad to create this opportunity—so they could experience Japan through the lens of Reiki.
With lots of Reiki and gratitude,
Satoe Sasaki
Usui Reiki Shihan
Head of Hong Kong Chapter, Japan Reiki Association
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