On the fifth, sixth, and seventh of May is held the great semi-annual fête of the Yasukuni Shrine, which is dedicated to the spirits of the officers and men of the army and navy and others who died fighting for their country. Aides-de-camp are sent from the Imperial Court to make offerings at the shrine. Here firework displays and wrestling matches take place and booths of all kinds are opened during the fête. The compound is crowded by the relatives of the dead, especially of those who fell in the Russian war, as well as the general public. The other semi-annual fête is held on the same days six months later. [Illustration: THE FÊTE OF SANNO.] Early in June the irises and sweet-flags flower; there are gardens in Tokyo where these flowers are specially cultivated and shown to the public. June is also the month for the annual fêtes of many local deities. There are nearly fifty shrines where annual fêtes are held in Tokyo; and the greatest of these are the Sanno and Kanda Myojin, whose fêtes were until lately among the famous sights of the city. The fête of the Sanno takes place on the fifteenth of June, while that of the Kanda Myojin is celebrated on the same day three months later. On the seventh of July took place the Feast of Tanabata, which is now seldom observed in Tokyo. On this night, according to the legend, the only one in the whole year when the Weaver (the star Vega) can meet her lover the Cow-herd (the star Altair) on the other side of the Heavenly River, as the Milky Way is called, magpies come and spread their wings across the river to bring the lovers together. And this meeting is celebrated with various offerings. The sixteenth of the month is, like the same day in January, the holiday for apprentices and servants. About this time, midsummer presents are exchanged between friends and relatives; but the most important occurrence in the middle of the month is the Feast of Lanterns. On the thirteenth, preparations are made for welcoming the spirits of the dead. The family tomb is visited and washed, while at home the shrine is decorated with festoons of vermicelli, to which are attached ears of Italian millet and _panicum frumentaceum_, dried persimmons, and the fruit of the _torreya nucifera_, and the lower part of the shrine is enclosed with a little fence of cryptomeria. In the evening, hemp-reeds are burnt in an earthen pan in front of the porch to receive the spirits who are then believed to enter the dwelling. On the fourteenth, offerings are made at the shrine and a priest is often called in to recite prayers. On the evening of the fifteenth when the spirits conclude their visit, the hemp-reeds are again burnt to speed them; people light their pipes at the fire and smoke as a charm against diseases of the mouth and step over the embers to secure themselves against all ailments in the lower parts of the body. [Illustration: THE FEAST OF LANTERNS.]