People pay their respects and pray for good fortune at the famous shrines.
Factories shut down and businesses close, but shops and trains stay open all night. Women do up their hair in traditional Edo style, and old stories are told. Hakozakigu Shrine, Fukuoka City, Syushu. Two groups of youths struggle to catch a sacred wooden ball which will bring good luck to the winning team. In Tokyo, agile firemen in traditional attire perform acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo ladders.