Participants dressed only in loincloths and flimsy underwear pray before pouring buckets of freezing cold water over themselves during a traditional New Year ice bath ceremony.
The ceremony took place at Kanda Myojin Shrine on January 9, 2016, in Tokyo, Japan.
This year 36 hardy participants braved the ice bath ritual; a traditional ceremony said to purify the soul and to bring good luck. (All photos by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO)