Photo: Extreme Endurance

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Extreme Endurance: At top, a Shinto priest prays for a group of parishioners before the start of the annual cold-endurance festival in January at the Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Above, half-naked participants use wooden pots to splash cold water on themselves. Drenching the body in the cold water signifies purifying the soul.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Above, half-naked participants use wooden pots to splash cold water on themselves. Drenching the body in the cold water signifies purifying the soul.



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