In Tokyo, participants braved frigid conditions at the Kanda Myojin Shrine for a traditional Japanese ritual aimed at purifying the soul and ushering in good health for the new year. Clad in minimal ...

An American tourist was arrested for defacing one of Tokyo’s most sacred shrines after he allegedly etched letters into its traditional wooden gate. Steve Hayes, 65, had been touring Japan with ...

A shrine in Tokyo is dedicated to a deity believed to control the weather. For three days in fall, a season of fickle weather in Japan, we asked people why they wanted divine help for sunny skies.

Dozens of people soaked and splashed themselves in painfully icy cold water on Saturday in a pool at a Tokyo shrine, adhering to Japanes ...

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Around 80 worshippers bathed in ice water on Sunday at a shrine in Tokyo to pray for good health. Men only wore traditional loincloths while women donned white robes as they took the plunge during the ...

A scantily clad shrine parishioner throws icy cold water on himself during the annual cold-endurance festival at Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, a traditional ...

TOKYO (AP) — Dozens of people soaked and splashed themselves in painfully icy cold water on Saturday in a pool at a Tokyo shrine, adhering to Japanese tradition to purify the soul and pray for ...