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© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japanese bathe in icy water at Tokyo shrine to purify their souls
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Aaron Wright
I wonder whether women in white loincloths (and bikini tops), or men in white robes, would be welcomed by the shrine elders?
Aly Rustom
hope they all got their flu shots
P_C
so fun! i've done polar plunge for charity many times, it's a blast.
obladi
Let the women in!
diagonalslip
"...and several women in white robes joined the annual cold endurance ritual..."
diagonalslip
photos #2 and #6
Geeter Mckluskie
The flu is a viral infection
Harry_Gatto
Easy to see why there are so many thriving cults here.
Aly Rustom
yes. it is.
grc
There are certainly a lot of souls that need purifying right now
wallace
I'll stay "unclean". Even the photo makes me feel cold.
osan
Reading comments, I see half of people did not even look at the article details and came here to complain. And some others expecting a traditional Japanese act to confirm western norms. why do you even read a news site about Japan if your are that bitter about it?
I think this tradition is very interesting and in the same time a feast for eyes.
Mocheake
Looks like al, the young women decided to skip this and hang out in Omotesando and Shibuya
Why can't people offer their own honest critique? What makes you think Japan and its traditions are above any of that? A lot of people have this idea that Japan is more special than other places and a lot of others, like me, disagree so there you have it.
daito_hak
I don’t mind the thing although I think the thinking and motivations behind it are grotesque. But boy, the dudes should also wear cloths, that’s a lot of very ugly bodies in display in one place.
falseflagsteve
More likely get a cold or feel queer from that freezing water. Would I like to do this? No way Pedro.
GuruMick
I always finish my morning shower with an icy cold one.
Kills hangovers ....unsure about warding off evil spirits.
Legrande
This plunging into icy water for health does have its counterpart in the west
albaleo
Indeed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loony_Dook
iron man
I ain't sure about the extreme, but any of you thletes out ther should know that the cheapest and n=most effective cure for a muscle inflammation caused by a stress trauma is hot, shower, cold shower (rpt,rpt), it encourages the circulation to flush out the muscle. Highly recommended for sore back muscles. more healthy than the western Ibrofen go to.