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Perhaps, the most interesting traditional holiday is the Sanja Matsuri or the Sanja Festival, which clearly shows how to combine a fun carnival procession and a religious ritual in harmony. This is a temple festival, held annually from Friday to Sunday of the third week of May. The festival begins on Friday afternoon with the Daigioretsu parade. A large procession of priests, city officials, geishas, musicians, and dancers, dressed in traditional Edo clothing, moves along the central streets to the temple of Asakusa. The religious Shinto ceremony, followed by the traditional dances and prayers for harvest and prosperity, ends the celebration. Moreover, you will be able to experience the special holiday event organized by the representatives of the notorious criminal clan - Yakuza, who are proudly exposed to showcase their numerous tattoos. If you are going to Tokyo in August, be sure to visit the Asakusa Samba Carnival - one of the brightest street carnivals in Japan. Every summer, this eclectic festival gathers up to half a million spectators in the streets of Tokyo.

The residents of Tokyo have a very interesting and unique shopping ritual, which precedes the New Year celebration. Tori-no-Ichi, or the Cock Day, is dedicated Otori, the deity of fortune and business. This holiday carries ancient traditions of celebrating the end of the harvest and the coming New Year. Tori-no-Ichi is celebrated on the territory of more than thirty Shinto temples on the twelfth day of November. You can also visit the unofficial center of celebrations, which is the Asakusa Jinja sanctuary, located within the walls of Sensoji Temple. Here you will enjoy one of the largest fairs in Tokyo: souvenirs, toys, ritual ornaments and household trifles. During the festival, the fair expands due to numerous street trays, selling a variety of amulets, which must attract good luck. But the main souvenirs on the market are the bamboo "rake of luck" Kumade, decorated with the Otori masks and a bunch of old coins "koban". In all senses, it is customary to accomplish a successful purchase with the special ritual of "tejime" - the synchronous clapping of both seller and buyer.
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