[Wedding] What are the 'Big Four' Wedding Venues? | W-02
To begin with the wedding preparations, last time we started by considering the budget.
Next, when I started looking into wedding venues, I kept seeing the term "Big Four Wedding Venues"...
The groom only knew that Meiji Jingu and Hotel Chinzanso were famous, but let's summarize the four major wedding venues in Japan here.
The Big Four Wedding Venues
According to explanatory pages like Zexy, there don't seem to be any clear selection criteria, but these four venues are listed based on the points that they have a long history and are large in scale.
Happo-en (Shirokanedai/Shinagawa)
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (Edogawabashi/Mejiro)
Meiji Kinenkan (Shinanomachi/Aoyama-itchome/National Stadium)
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo (Meguro)
The locations in parentheses are the nearest stations provided as access information on each venue's website.
All of these venues have many photos of Shinto-style ceremonies on their websites, giving them a Japanese-style image.
Happo-en
Founded in 1943, it has an 81-year history as of 2024.
The venue is centered around a strolling Japanese garden that has remained unchanged since the Edo period. It is a purely Japanese-style venue, with the official website featuring many photos of the garden and brides in white kimono (for Shinto ceremonies).
In addition to Shinto ceremonies in the shrine, Christian ceremonies can also be held in the chapel on the premises.
There are various banquet hall designs accommodating from 50 to 162 guests, as well as the Hakuhokan, which can be rented out entirely for up to 114 guests, and Kochuan.
Access is a short walk from Shirokanedai Station on the Metro Namboku Line and Toei Mita Line. There is a free shuttle bus from JR Shinagawa Station (Takanawa Exit) on weekends.
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
Chinzanso as a wedding venue was founded in 1952 and has a 72-year history as of 2024.
With the tagline that you can have both Japanese and Western styles, whether formal or homey, they seem to promote the combination of the Japanese garden and wedding dresses the most.
Of course, in addition to a chapel (Christian ceremony), you can also have a Shinto ceremony in a shrine that accommodates 60 people, or choose to hold the ceremony at a shrine.
Examples of shrines mentioned included Hie Shrine, Yushima Tenmangu, Kanda Myojin, Akagi Shrine, and Oji Shrine.
There are over 15 types of reception halls ranging from small to large, making it possible to accommodate various group sizes and styles, whether Japanese or Western.
Access is a 10-minute walk from Edogawabashi Station on the Metro Yurakucho Line.
About 10 minutes by bus from Mejiro Station on the JR Yamanote Line.
Meiji Kinenkan
Founded in 1947, this wedding venue has a 77-year history as of 2024.
Attached to the Meiji Jingu Shrine, which is famous for the first shrine visit of the New Year, so it was a venue even the groom, who is unfamiliar with wedding venue circumstances, knew about.
As it is a venue located within a garden attached to a shrine, a Shinto ceremony is standard, but it is also possible to hold a wedding with the concept of wearing a wedding dress in a Japanese-style building.
In the case of a Shinto ceremony, the procession takes place within the grounds of Meiji Jingu, but because multiple ceremonies are scheduled per day, guests can easily become congested, and some have mentioned being concerned about the eyes of general tourists.
There are many variations of reception halls, ranging from a capacity of about 40 people to a maximum of about 400, and while they are basically Japanese-style, there are also several Western-style halls.
Access is a 3-minute walk from Shinanomachi Station on the JR Chuo-Sobu Line (local train).
A 6-minute walk from Aoyama-itchome Station on the Metro Ginza Line, Hanzomon Line, and Toei Oedo Line.
A 6-minute walk from Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station on the Toei Oedo Line.
*Please note that it is a distance from Meiji-jingumae Station on each Metro line.
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo
Founded in 1928, this wedding venue has a 96-year history as of 2024.
It has been temporarily closed since October 2025 due to the building's fixed-term lease agreement.
Group photos in the Japanese garden and photos of Shinto ceremonies are mainly featured, and the names of the reception halls, such as 'Chikurin' (Bamboo Forest) and 'Asuka', also evoke the image of a historic Japanese-style venue.
It is also possible to have a Christian (church) ceremony, and there are multiple Western-style reception halls.
Access is a 3-minute walk from Meguro Station on the JR Yamanote Line, Tokyu Meguro Line, Metro Namboku Line, and Toei Mita Line.
Where should we go for a tour?
Looking at the weddings of our parents' generation, the bride's parents had their wedding at one of the 'Big Four' venues, and the groom's parents had theirs at a Japanese hotel venue, so the word 'wedding' naturally gives us a 'Japanese' feel.
So, we decided to compare one of the 'Big Four' venues, a Japanese hotel venue, and maybe one other place if we can go.
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