Japan, Kobe, Ikuta shrine. Portrait of a Miko, a shrine maiden, wearing head-dress with sprig of green leaves, tamagushi, from the sacred sakaki tree. Side view.

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Kobe, Japan. 1 January 2018. People going to the Ikuta Shrine in Sannomiya in Kobe. Thousands of people visited every hour and a cordon was thrown across roads on the approaches to the shrine to ensure control of the crowds. People came to conduct the traditional Hatsumode, first visit of the new year to their local shrine. Some paid to have ritual ceremonies conducted to pray for good fortune in the coming year, shrine maidens help conducted the proceedings. The weather stayed nice, with temperatures around 6-8c, but in the afternoon it begun to get windy. Credit-Malcolm Fairman/Alamy Live News.

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Size: 3648px × 5472px
Location: Ikuta Shrine, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Photo credit: © Malcolm Fairman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ceremony, dancer, day, girl, ikuta, japan, japanese, kobe, leaves, maiden, miko, ostogatsu, sakaki, shinto, shogatsu, shrine, skrine, sprig, tamagushi, woman, year, years