New Year ice bath ceremony at Kanda Myojin


January 26, 2019, Tokyo, Japan – Shinto believers recite a prayer before they pour cold water over themselves to purify their bodies and souls as part of the Daikoku festival at the Kanda shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Some 40 people took part in the New Year ritual. (Photo by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO)


Participants dressed only in loincloths and flimsy underwear pour freezing cold water over themselves during the traditional New Year ice bath ceremony at Kanda Myojin Shrine on January 26, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. This year 42 hardy participants braved the ice bath ritual; a traditional ceremony said to purify the soul and to bring good luck. January 26, 2019 (Photo by Nicolas Datiche/AFLO)


January 26, 2019, Tokyo, Japan – Shinto believers pour cold water over themselves to purify their bodies and souls as part of the Daikoku festival at the Kanda shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, January 26, 2019. Some 40 people took part in the New Year ritual. (Photo by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO)


Participants dressed only in loincloths and flimsy underwear pour freezing cold water over themselves during the traditional New Year ice bath ceremony at Kanda Myojin Shrine on January 26, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. This year 42 hardy participants braved the ice bath ritual; a traditional ceremony said to purify the soul and to bring good luck. January 26, 2019 (Video by Nicolas Datiche/Nippon News)