Visitors dancing at Yasukuni Jinja (shrine), Japan's shrine to the dead of World War 2 , on the opening night of festival, Tokyo
Visitors dancing at Yasukuni Jinja (shrine), Japan's shrine to the dead of World War 2 , on the opening night of the 4 night Mitama Matsuri (festival) at Yasukuni Shrine, Kudanshita district of Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday July 13th 2006. The summer festival was started after WW2 to console the souls of the more than 2,466,000 that died and have been enshrined in Yasukuni. The shrine continues to be a source of controversy in Asia, between Japan and it's neighbours who claim that every time Prime Minister of Japan visits the shrine to pay his respects to the dead, that he also pays his respects to the souls of the 14 'Class A' war criminals whose souls are also enshrined within the Yasukuni. Asian countries, most noticeably Korea and China have repeatedly asked that Koizumi refrain from visiting the shrine. The yellow lanterns hold the names of those that died in WW2, and are paid for by their surviving families. The festival will last until July 16th.
Size: 3504px × 2336px
Location: Tokyo Japan
Photo credit: © jeremy sutton-hibbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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