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Japanese worshippers have prayed for the safety of themselves and their families by walking barefoot with Buddhist monks over smouldering coals at an annual festival near Mt. Takaosan.
The fire-walking today was more tense than usual because participants were required to wear masks and maintain social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival was also limited to 1,000 participants. Last year, it wasn't open to the public because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Buddhist monk wearing a protective mask, amid the Covid-19 outbreak, carries a child as he walks across smoldering hot ground at the fire-walking festival, called hiwatari matsuri in Japanese, at Mt.Takao in Tokyo, Japan