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

to pump themselves up as other participants and onlookers cheered. Purification is key to Shinto rituals to keep away evil spirits. Worshipers can also wish for other things, such as traffic ...

to pump themselves up as other participants and onlookers cheered. Purification is key to Shinto rituals to keep away evil spirits. Worshipers can also wish for other things, such as traffic ...

A group people plunged into an ice bath on Sunday in Tokyo to take part in a Shinto ritual. The ritual, called the "Kanchu Misogi," is designed to purify the body and spirit for the new year.

Seven Shinto priests, including deputy chief priest Masuhiro Murakami, oversaw the cooking process while chanting purification prayers. At 5 a.m. on Jan. 15, the priests removed the reed stems ...

SHIMOSUWA, Nagano -- A rare Shinto "porridge ritual" to predict the state of society and harvests for the year was held from the night of Jan. 14 to early next morning, coinciding with the ...