“Sure, I’ll do it,” I say to my guide, giddy with
bravado. “I’m from England — it’s a cold
country. I’ll take to this like a duck to water.”
This is a lie. I’ve never done anything like
misogi before. The word translates as ‘water
cleansing’; in the Shinto faith (one of the
major religions of Japan), standing under
a waterfall is a way to purify your soul. I’d
wanted to try it out so I could immerse
myself in one of Japan’s key spiritual
traditions. I imagined it being like waterfall
bathing in shampoo adverts, where the
current is balmy, tropical birds swoop and
someone plays the steel drums.
But when we arrive at the waterfall, set
beneath Mount Shichimen, the torrents are
icy, crashing down from frosty heights. At
this time of year — mid-winter — the water
has a polar temperature, my guide tells me
with surprising relish. I spot an inflatable
Santa on a nearby windowsill. A worrying
thought takes hold: perhaps I’ve been too
hasty in committing to this.
Shichimen is in Kanto, a region west of
Mount Fuji on Japan’s largest island, Honshu
— a world of hanging valleys, mountaintop
temples and sacred pathways winding
through forests of maple and oak. Here, as
elsewhere in Japan, holiness is rooted in
the natural world. For Shinto followers, the
divine moves in the passing of seasons, the
falling of autumn leaves, in water ebbing
through the landscape.
Earlier in the morning, at the guesthouse
near the waterfall, I’d met Tamaki Harayama,
a pilgrim who’d come to Shichimen for a
week of waterfall cleansing. She’d offeredto initiate me in this rite, first handing me
a man’s misogi costume to change into — a
loincloth tied with a knot. Now I wonder if I
can fasten it properly. I have a premonition
of horrified onlookers, a wail of sirens, calls
to the embassy. To preserve the sanctity of
Shichimen, I opt for a woman’s robe instead.
I fritter away minutes rearranging my
clothes in the changing room. And then I
pause to admire the pond near the waterfall.
“Like a duck to water,” I think. I step in, right
under the thunderbolt of cold water. The
adrenalin feels like drinking a thousand
Red Bulls. Hours of fearful anticipation
melt away in a minute of heady exhilaration.
My skin burns, endorphins fizzle. Stepping
out again, I experience quiet euphoria — a
feeling that will linger on throughout the rest
of the day.
I dart to the guesthouse and sink into its
hot spring — feeling like a ready meal moved
from the freezer to the oven — and simmer
happily, emerging in high spirits, with
glowing cheeks.
Whether you have faith or not, misogi
can offer a true transformation, pressing
Control-Alt-Delete on your body. “Your face
has opened up,” says Tamaki later. “You’re
transformed. When you go home, I think
you’ll be a little different.”Whether you’re a believer or not, the Shinto ritual of waterfall bathing
offers a chance to reset — and immerse yourself in the spiritual beauty of
Japan’s mountains. Words: Oliver SmithKanto
Chasing waterfalls
Misogi takes place at the discretion of local guardians
of the waterfall. Heartland Japan, which specialises in
tours around the Kanto region, offers the three-day
Mount Minobu Spiritual Tour, taking in the Buddhist
temples and landscapes close to Shichimen.
heartlandjapan.comShinrin-
yoku
‘Forest bathing’ — a wellness
therapy that involves
spending time in the
woodsWorshippers brave the cold
temperatures of Kiyotaki
Falls near Otaki for
a traditional ‘water
IMAGE: BEN WELLER cleansing’ ceremony
JAPANMay/Jun 2020 67