The city of Kyoto is known as Japan's cultural and spiritual capital. It's for good reason: Kyoto has hundreds of Buddhist ...

A shrine parishioner throws icy cold water on himself during the annual cold-endurance festival at Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, a traditional Japanese way of purifying ...

SEOUL--South Korea on Sunday protested Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine with "deep disappointment" and urged Japanese leaders to show repentance for the ...

As Japan’s population falls and interest in religion declines, there are fewer people to contribute to the upkeep of the country’s numerous temples and shrines. Suzuki’s Mikaboyama temple ...

NIKAHO, Akita -- Large cod were carried in procession and dedicated to a local Shinto shrine in this northern Japan city Feb. 4 in a unique festival traditionally held around the first day of ...

At the Gou Jinja Shinto Shrine, fans of Japanese figures skaters are praying for their victory at the PyeongChang Olympics. In Japan, it is tradition to pray for athletes, “sporting gods”, ahead of ...

A scantily clad shrine parishioner throws icy cold water ... 18, 2025, a traditional Japanese way of purifying soul and praying for their health in the new year. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) ...

(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) TOKYO (AP) -- Dozens of people soaked and splashed themselves in painfully icy cold water on Saturday in a pool at a Tokyo shrine, adhering to Japanese tradition to ...

Tucked on Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu, Fukuoka thrives in the understated—a mix of old-world craft and neon-lit ...

The shrine was later destroyed during the 16th-century Japanese invasion of Korea but rebuilt during the 17th century. Little has changed since. The structure is composed of multiple buildings ...