In pictures: Japan children's festival

November in Japan is a time for children to visit a local Shinto shrine in their finest clothes. The festival, known as shichigosan in Japanese, is named after the ages of the children taking part - seven (shichi), five (go), three (san).

Parents take boys of three and five years old and girls of three and seven to give thanks to the gods for a healthy life so far and pray for a safe and successful future.

The exact origins of the festival are unclear but there are records of samurai families celebrating their children's well-being over 400 years ago.

It is only in the last 100 years that the custom has been taken up by all people in Japan.

The three ages were associated with significant stages in children's lives.

Three was the age when girls first wore their hair in an adult style.

At five boys received their first hakama, a long pleated skirt worn over a kimono.

While girls were given their first obi at seven, the silk sash used to tie their kimono.

Using the old Japanese calendar 15 November was chosen as an auspicious day to celebrate shichigosan

Japanese children were traditionally thought to be gifts of the gods until they turned seven

Boys are increasingly dressed in western suits rather than the traditional hakama and haori jacket

Children crawl through the small stone torii gate here to ward off illness and bad luck

Food and toy stalls are set up in the shrine grounds for the young children

Children receive bags of sweets covered with pictures of plums, bamboo, cranes and tortoises - symbols of longevity

Fortune papers prophesying ill luck are tied to shrine trees so they do not come true

Shichigosan is not a public holiday so most families visit their local shrine during the nearest weekend