TOKYO – Men wearing traditional loincloths and women dressed in white clothes went to an ice water bath at a shrine in Tokyo during a Shinto ritual on Sunday to cleanse the soul and pray for the end of COVID-19 pandemic.
Only a dozen people attended the annual gathering at Teppou-zu Inari shrine, which was reduced this year due to the health crisis, compared to more than a hundred in early 2020. Spectators were not allowed to attend the event.
After doing warm-up exercises and singing under a clear sky with outside temperatures at 41.18 Fahrenheit, the nine male and three female participants went into a bath filled with cold water and large blocks of ice. “I prayed that the coronavirus would come to an end as soon as possible,” said 65-year-old participant Shinji Ooi, who heads the Yayoikai Congregation, after the ritual.
Japan has struggled to curb a recent increase in coronavirus infections, and Tokyo reported 1,494 new cases on Sunday. The government on Thursday declared a limited state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, which make up about 30% of the country’s population, to halt the spread.
Fewer participants in the Shinto ritual made the water extra cold, Naoaki Yamaguchi told Reuters.
‘Normally we have more participants and that makes the water temperature a little warmer. But this year there were only twelve people, so it (the cold) was crazy, ‘said the 47-year-old.
The sanctuary added the theme of “repelling epidemics” to the annual meeting, which is held on the second Sunday of each year and is now in its 66th year.