Japanese Shinto Believers bathe in ice water to purify the soul

During a New Year ritual at Teppozu Inari Shrine in Tokyo, roughly 80 Shinto devotees immersed themselves in an ice bath, as part of a ritual meant to purify the soul and pray for the new year. The ritual originally began in 1955, inspired by one of the shrine's former chief priests who splashed cold water onto himself while praying for the local community's well-being.