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purification rituals

That time our reporter’s classmate became possessed by a dead child at school

Kokkuri-san is a Japanese ouija board that shouldn’t be messed with.

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Mist descends upon Japan’s “Killing Stone” after ceremony to appease nine-tailed fox spirit

Does this mean the priest’s purification ritual has placated the beast? Or is it an omen of something else to come?

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Japanese water purification ritual at shrines under threat due to the pandemic

Shrine enthusiasts come up with a clever solution to help preserve an important tradition.

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Bali’s Allure Exihibited by These New Additions to World Heritage Sites

Luhur Batukaru Temple, Tabanan, Bali

Indonesia’s Bali Island is full of beautiful temples like the Luhar Batukaru Temple. This temple, strategically located on the southern slope of Bali’s second-highest volcano, protects Bali from evil spirits.

The area surrounding this temple and three other sites in Bali were only recently added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.  On June 24th, at the World Heritage Committee’s  meeting, held this year in St. Petersburg, Russia, these sites became a part of the expanding World Heritage Site list.

Now Bali has four World Heritage Sites!  What sort of place gets to be a Heritage Site?  In order to give you an idea, we headed straight away to Bali to show you these recent additions of officially recognized treasures in our world. Read More