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A man stands between thousands of paper lanterns, which were displayed and lit up the precincts of the shrine, where more than 2.4 million war-dead are enshrined, during the Mitama Festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan July 13, 2016. “Mitama” is a respectful word that means “the soul of a dead person” in Japanese, and this “Soul Festival” honors just that. The Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to the honoring of the souls of those who gave their lives to defend Japan, and this festival is an early step towards the Japanese holiday season of Obon, during which Japanese people honor their deceased ancestors. The festival is held yearly from July 13 to July 16, which can be somewhat problematic when those dates fail to fall on a weekend. It began in 1947 and remains one of Tokyo's biggest Obon celebrations. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)
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