Kimono-clad pets blessed at Japan festival lacking enough kids

With Japan’s population in decline, more and more worshippers are bringing beloved animals to the event instead.

TOKYO: Chanting and swishing a wooden wand, a Japanese priest blessed a cat, a shiba inu and several Yorkshire terriers at a shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, in a rite usually reserved for children.

The annual “Shichi-Go-San” festival literally means “Seven-Five-Three” and traditionally allows families to celebrate the growth of their children at those ages.

But with Japan’s population in decline, more and more worshippers are bringing beloved animals to the event instead.