Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward is packed with visitors offering prayers for “good business” on the morning of Jan. 4, the first working day of the year for many people. (Ryo Ikeda) ...

We also pay our respects at Kanda Myojin Shrine and speak to a group that is busy preparing for the upcoming Kanda Festival.

In Mikoshi-Miyairi, a highlight of the festival, mikoshi from different neighborhoods were carried into the Kanda Myojin shrine in Chiyoda Ward and spectators chanted as mikoshi went along.