Once inside the temple, we followed the line of people around to cleanse ourselves at a carved stone trough. I watched my host family carefully then copied them, picking up a long handled ladle and filling it from the stream flowing into the trough. After pouring a little over each hand, I took a sip and went to spit it out.
“Not in the trough,” Akiko warned. Shocked at her urgency, I took a step back to spit into the drain. I certainly didn’t want to incur the wrath of any gods.
“Gross,” said Kat, but did the same, whatever she thought of spitting and of sipping from the same cup as everyone else.