Shichi-go-san (七五三, “seven-five-three”) is a family blessing for children aged 3, 5 and 7. Families visit a shrine in autumn, often in traditional clothes, and ask for the child’s healthy growth. This guide compares four Tokyo shrines that take blessings in 2026: Meiji Jingu, Asakusa Shrine, Hie Shrine and Akasaka Hikawa Shrine. It shows the reception hours, the offering, whether you need to book, and the walk from the nearest station.
In short
- Akasaka Hikawa Shrine takes blessings by appointment (15-minute slots). Asakusa Shrine recommends booking. Meiji Jingu and Hie Shrine take walk-ins.
- The offering (hatsuhoryo, 初穂料) starts at ¥5,000 at Meiji Jingu and Akasaka Hikawa, and at ¥10,000 at Hie Shrine. Asakusa Shrine sets no fixed amount.
- November 15, 2026 is a Sunday. Many families choose a day near the 15th, so check the reception hours and the booking rules first.
Checked with official pages on October 5, 2026.
Shichi-go-san is for girls and boys aged 3, boys aged 5, and girls aged 7. Traditionally the age is counted the Japanese way (kazoedoshi, 数え年): a baby is 1 at birth and gains a year every January 1. Many families now use the age in years instead. The table near the end shows the birth years for 2026. Hours below are for individual families.
| Shrine | Booking | Offering | Reception hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meiji Jingu | Not needed | From ¥5,000 | 9:00–16:20 |
| Asakusa Shrine | Recommended | No fixed amount | Weekdays 9:00–16:00; weekends and holidays 9:00–16:30 |
| Hie Shrine | Not needed | From ¥10,000 | 9:00–16:00 |
| Akasaka Hikawa Shrine | By appointment (15-min slots) | From ¥5,000 | 9:30–16:00 |
Asakusa Shrine’s hours are the office hours (社務時間). The other three give prayer or reception hours.
1. How do you choose a shrine?
Depends on the shrine
Choose by booking rule first, then by how far you want to walk with a child in formal clothes. The two points that differ most are booking and walking distance.
- You want a fixed time: Akasaka Hikawa Shrine has 15-minute slots. Asakusa Shrine takes bookings too, and walk-ins are served as slots open.
- You prefer to just turn up: Meiji Jingu and Hie Shrine do not need a booking. You are served in order of arrival.
- You want a short walk from the station: Hie Shrine is a 3-minute walk from two stations. At Meiji Jingu the walk from any entrance to the prayer hall is about 10 minutes.
- You are driving: only Hie Shrine (about 100 free spaces) and Akasaka Hikawa Shrine (9 spaces) state their parking numbers. Meiji Jingu warns that its car park can be full. Asakusa Shrine allows parking only for families receiving a blessing.
The offering amounts range from ¥5,000 to ¥10,000 and up. None of the four official pages say how siblings blessed together are charged, so ask at the reception desk.
2. Meiji Jingu (明治神宮): no booking, from ¥5,000
Depends on the shrine
The blessing is held at the Kagura-den (神楽殿), the prayer hall. Reception is at the front of the Kagura-den, which stands on the right (east) side as you face the main shrine. It is open from 9:00 to 16:20. Individual families do not need to book, and the offering starts at ¥5,000. Your name is written on the paper talisman (ofuda, おふだ) from ¥10,000. At ¥5,000 it is not. The offering also decides the size of the talisman and the gifts you take home.
Blessings are held about every 30 minutes, from about 9:30 to 16:30. Register at least 10 minutes before the time you want. Several families are blessed together. The shrine says the reception place can differ during the shichi-go-san season. For nursing rooms, lockers and changing rooms, it asks you to inquire at the Kagura-den on the day.
The gates close earlier in winter, because they follow sunrise and sunset. The official table gives 6:10 to 16:10 in November and 6:40 to 16:00 in December. Reception runs until 16:20, so in November and December, choose a morning or early-afternoon slot so you can leave the grounds before closing.
Two entrances are used for most visits. The south entrance (Harajuku entrance) is by JR Harajuku Station and Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) Station on the Tokyo Metro. The north entrance (Yoyogi entrance) is by Yoyogi Station (JR and Toei Oedo Line) and Kita-sando Station (Fukutoshin Line). Sangubashi Station is also listed. From any entrance it is about 10 minutes on foot to the main shrine. Cars can enter only by the Yoyogi entrance, and the official site asks visitors to use public transport because the car park can be too crowded to enter.
Address: 1-1 Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya City, Tokyo (東京都渋谷区代々木神園町1-1). Google Maps. Kagura-den phone: 03-3379-9281. Official page for individual prayers (Japanese).
3. Asakusa Shrine (浅草神社): booking recommended, no fixed offering
Depends on the shrine
The shrine recommends booking in advance, by its reservation form or by phone at 03-3844-3183. You can also apply on the day. Booked families come first, and on the day you are placed in a slot as one opens. Ceremonies and events can stop blessings for a while, so the shrine suggests calling first to ask when blessings are possible. Office hours are 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 16:30 on weekends and holidays.
- Offering: the official page says there is no fixed amount.
- Time: the blessing takes 15 to 20 minutes. Allow about 30 minutes in total, because crowds change the timing.
- Group size: on weekends and holidays, up to 10 people per family, and 5 when it is crowded. Your whole group must be present before you can enter the office.
- What to wear: no bare feet inside. Bring socks or tights.
- Photos: not allowed inside the shrine building or during the blessing. A photographer can work only up to the waiting room.
- Optional banner: from October 1 to the end of November, you can have a banner with your child’s name hung on the fence of the grounds (七五三幟). It costs ¥5,000 each, with 40 banners available.
Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line and Tobu Line is a 7-minute walk. Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express is 10 minutes. Parking on the grounds is only for families receiving a blessing and for wedding guests, and the car entrance is limited.
Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo (東京都台東区浅草2-3-1). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3844-3183. Official shichi-go-san page (Japanese).
4. Hie Shrine (日枝神社): no booking, from ¥10,000, about 100 free parking spaces
Depends on the shrine
Reception is at the amulet counter (授与所) on the grounds, from 9:00 to 16:00. You do not need to book, and the offering starts at ¥10,000. The ceremony is for children aged 3 (boys and girls), 5 (boys) and 7 (girls) by the Japanese age count. The shrine performs sacred music (kagura) and a purification with bells. You can also register online beforehand, which means you do not fill in the application form on the day.
Clothes, dressing and photos are handled by the shrine’s own facility, Hie Akasaka (日枝あかさか). From September 16 to December 15, 2026, there is a weekday plan that bundles the blessing, rental of festive clothes, dressing, hair styling and a photo session. If you want dressing on a weekend or holiday in that period, it is booked separately. Dressing, clothes and photos need a booking in advance, while the blessing itself is taken on the day. The changing room can be used, after taking off the clothes, only by those who booked dressing at Hie Akasaka.
Akasaka Station (Chiyoda Line, exit 2) and Tameike-sanno Station (Namboku and Ginza lines, exit 7) are 3 minutes’ walk. Kokkai-gijidomae Station (Chiyoda Line, exit 5) is 5 minutes. Akasaka-mitsuke Station (Ginza and Marunouchi lines, exit 11) is 8 minutes. The shrine has a free car park for worshippers with about 100 spaces.
Address: 2-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo (東京都千代田区永田町2丁目10番5号). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3581-2471. Official shichi-go-san page and weekday plan page (Japanese).
5. Akasaka Hikawa Shrine (赤坂氷川神社): booking in 15-minute slots, from ¥5,000
Depends on the shrine
The shrine takes shichi-go-san blessings all year round. Blessings are by appointment, every 15 minutes from 9:30 to 16:00. At busy times several families are guided together. The shrine asks you to book, and without a booking you may wait a long time. The offering starts at ¥5,000. There is no limit on how many family members can enter the shrine building.
- Getting dressed: the shrine asks families to arrive already dressed. A dressing room is lent only to customers of two partner shops, Sun Collection and Shimizu Isho-ten.
- Photos: in front of the shrine building (inside the inner gate), photos are allowed only for 15 minutes after the blessing. They are not allowed inside buildings. Elsewhere on the grounds you can take photos freely. A photographer you hire cannot use the car park.
- Nursing and diaper changing: a space is on the first floor of the shrine office.
The shrine lists exit 5 of Akasaka Station (Chiyoda Line) first. It also lists Roppongi Station (Hibiya and Oedo lines, exit 7), Roppongi-itchome Station (Namboku Line, exit 1) and Tameike-sanno Station (Ginza Line, exit 12). The grounds have 9 parking spaces, and vehicles larger than a microbus cannot enter.
Address: 6-10-12 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo (東京都港区赤坂6-10-12). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3583-1935. Official shichi-go-san page (Japanese; the site has an English switch).
6. Which day should you pick in 2026?
Depends on the shrine
November 15 is the usual day, and Akasaka Hikawa Shrine notes that many families choose a day near it. In 2026, November 15 is a Sunday. Tuesday, November 3 (Culture Day) and the three-day weekend from Saturday, November 21 to Monday, November 23 (Labor Thanksgiving Day) are also holidays. Asakusa Shrine limits weekend and holiday groups to 10 people per family (5 when crowded), so check this first if grandparents are coming.
7. Which birth years are celebrated in 2026?
Depends on the shrine
Akasaka Hikawa Shrine lists the following for 2026 (Reiwa 8) and notes that celebrating by age in years has become more common. Other shrines did not publish a table on the pages we checked.
| Age | Who | By age in years | By Japanese count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Girls and boys | Born 2023 | Born 2024 |
| 5 | Boys | Born 2021 | Born 2022 |
| 7 | Girls | Born 2019 | Born 2020 |
8. Common questions
Common questions
Can the whole family come in?
Akasaka Hikawa Shrine has no limit on the number of family members who enter the shrine building. Asakusa Shrine allows up to 10 people per family on weekends and holidays, and 5 when it is crowded.
Can I rent clothes and get dressed at the shrine?
Hie Shrine does, through Hie Akasaka (booking in advance). Akasaka Hikawa Shrine asks you to arrive dressed, and only customers of its two partner shops can use the dressing room.
Where can I take photos?
At Akasaka Hikawa Shrine, in front of the shrine building for 15 minutes after the blessing, and on the grounds and plaza at other times. At Asakusa Shrine, on the grounds and in the waiting room, but not inside the building or during the blessing.
Do the official pages say whether staff speak English?
Not on the pages we checked. The four pages used here are in Japanese, so a Japanese speaker may need to help with booking and with the forms.
Next steps
- Pick a shrine from the table and check its booking rule. Akasaka Hikawa Shrine asks families to book in advance.
- Looking for more seasonal events? See Hatsumode 2027 in Tokyo and Tokyo Events in November 2026.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Meiji Jingu (Japanese): individual prayers, opening hours, access
- Asakusa Shrine (Japanese): shichi-go-san, access
- Hie Shrine (Japanese): shichi-go-san, weekday plan, access
- Akasaka Hikawa Shrine (Japanese): shichi-go-san, access
Hours, offerings and booking rules can change, so check the official page before you go.
