Teppozu Kanchu Misogi (New Year's Ceremony)
New Year's annual ritual
January 8, 2017, Tokyo, Japan - Participants warm themselves up after an icy water dip during a new year's annual rite in downtown Tokyo on a cold Sunday of January 8, 2017. In Japan, practitioners of Shinto, a Japanese ethnic religion focusing on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, immerse themselves in icy water under the frigid temperatures in the frigid temperatures in downtown Tokyo on a cold Sunday of January 8, 2017. In Japan, practitioners of Shinto, a Japanese ethnic religion focusing on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, immerse themselves in icy water under the frigid temperatures in the purification ritual, believed to cleanse the spirit or just to show off their bravery (Photo by Natsuki Sakai/AFLO) AYF -mis-