Relatively young compared to many of Japan’s ancient temples and shrines, Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingū) holds deep symbolic and national significance. Completed in 1920, it was constructed to honour the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his beloved consort, Empress Shōken. Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) presided over one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in Japanese history, overseeing the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the rapid modernisation of the nation.

In 1925, King Rama VI transformed a patch of Bangkok’s then quiet outskirts into a space meant for both education and recreation. Although his original vision of a museum never materialized, the area gradually became the city’s first public park. He named it Lumphini, after the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal, symbolising a deep respect for Thai culture and heritage amid a period of rapid modernisation.