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Jan 04 2005 Leave a Comment

Shinto shivers

Today I was lucky enough to witness something I had previously only ever seen on TV. A man (presumably a Shinto Priest) praying underneath a waterfall.

Now whilst not the biggest waterfall in the world, as you can see from the picture below, there’s snow on the ground. Plus it’s situated halfway up a mountain, so I don’t need to stress how cold it must have been.

japanese waterfall

Unfortunately access was blocked and I couldn’t get very near. But having said that I guess it’s fair enough, as in the unlikely event of me trying something similar, I wouldn’t want a crowd.

Once under the water the hardy young man did a lot of shouting/praying. And after a few minutes (yes, it wasn’t a quick dash in and out) he emerged to gave a final and hearty Thank you very much to whichever god(s) he was praying to.

shinto priest

I would liked to have asked him how often he prays like this and how on earth he manages it, but he quickly darted off to a nearby building. Presumably to get himself dried off and warm. Or there again, perhaps to stick hot needles in his legs.

After what he’d just subjected himself to, who knows?

Categorized: Culture, Religion

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