What is the basin in Jinja, Japanese shrine, for?
In Japanese Shrine, there is a water-purifying place called “Temizu-ya” before the Main Hall “Hondo”.
Also called “Chozu-ya”, the manner using a ladle is bit complicated, but once you remember this, your travel in Japan will be smooth; some Tera, Buddhist Temples, also have this, and the manner is the same.
How to purify in Temizu-ya (Chozu-ya)