Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

IWAKI, Japan - Haruhiko Yamanobe (C), one of three newly married men taking part in the "Mizushugi" traditional festival in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in northeastern Japan on Jan. 12, 2015, gets splashed with a bucket of cold water. The annual ritual serves as a prayer for the family's good health and safety as well as fire prevention.

Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

IWAKI, Japan - Haruhiko Yamanobe (C), one of three newly married men taking part in the "Mizushugi" traditional festival in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in northeastern Japan on Jan. 12, 2015, gets splashed with a bucket of cold water. The annual ritual serves as a prayer for the family's good health and safety as well as fire prevention. (Kyodo)

Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

People rest after evacuating to a local martial arts gym in Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on July 28, 2020, following heavy rain.

Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A car drives on a flooded road in the northeastern Japan town of Yamanobe in Yamagata Prefecture on July 28, 2020, following heavy rain.

New coronavirus

New coronavirus

Photo taken May 15, 2020, shows a face mask (C) that incorporates an ice pack, made by knit maker Knit Y'Z in Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as the summer approaches amid the spread of the new coronavirus. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

New coronavirus

New coronavirus

Photo taken May 15, 2020, shows Katsuyuki Goto, a managing director of knit maker Knit Y'Z in Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, holding a face mask that incorporates an ice pack, made by his company as the summer approaches amid the spread of the new coronavirus. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo