Hadaka Matsuri: The Naked Man Festival
Japan… Where else can you go to see thousands of loincloth-clad men soaking wet and frolicking around in the wintry night?
The Naked Man Festival (aka Hadaka Matsuri) takes place in Saidaiji, Japan.
Men from all over the world flock to this small town to consume copious amounts of sake and run around in the middle of winter in their underwear.
They form small groups and run around the neighborhood chanting “Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”
The climax of the event takes place at exactly midnight, when two small wooden sticks (shingi) are dropped in the local temple.
The man who catches one will have a year of good luck.
These sticks are so highly prized, that the men clamber over each other to grab them, resulting in the strange tangle of bodies you can see here.
Louise Brown
TravelPod Community Manager
By starlagurl on 23-11-2008
Comment by reyda
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
nice article !
but the countdown to “OMG ITS SO GAY” comments has already begun…
Comment by Kristian
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
There is also the Dontou Matsuri in Sendai, during the winter, i think it was January. Did that one year i was there. All the local corporations walk the streets in a parade of sorts ringing bells. You have a coin rapped in paper in your mouth to bite down on to stop your teeth from chattering for 2 hours… you then end up at the local temple at the end of it all and there is a HUGE bonfire to warm everyone up. Guess it is there way of wishing all the other business good luck in the coming year and asking for good luck of your own. Was lots of fun, and had the Japanese girls all over me in my little paper diaper… lol
In Sendai they had both men and women.
Comment by hannah
November 24th, 2008 at 11:01 am
omg this is soooo gay
Comment by jinzoningen
November 24th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
There is a reason why it is called the naked man festival.
The man designated the “Spirit Man” is actually completely naked. There is a ritual performed prior to the start of the actual festival when he is stripped naked and completely shaven of ALL bodily hair. His task is to then walk from one end of the street to the shrine at the opposite end.
Of course to get there, he has to make his way through all that mass of other men in fundoshi (loin cloth) who are tossing water, possibly drunk from all that sake, and all struggling to touch the Spirit Man for good luck. So somewhere in that mass is one lone naked man being grabbed by a bunch of other men.
So yes, OMG, this is soooo gay is right. LOL.
Comment by Seoulman
November 26th, 2008 at 10:19 am
When the stick is dropped, let the orgy begin.
hundreds of near naked drunken men climbing all over each other sounds like a scene from some cheap porno.
How much good luck can you have when you have just been tackled by 50 drunken men in jocks all trying to find something long and hard on your person. for good luck take part in the event, for better luck, make fun of it the next day.
Comment by Luigi
November 28th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
LOL…OMFG! talk about a mid life crisis!!! sounds like good time to be had….well, maybe not!
Comment by whereisichi
December 1st, 2008 at 9:45 am
omgosh don’t they get trampled?
Comment by Malaysia Digest
December 18th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Incredible
Comment by Concerned Citizen
February 9th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
A naked WOMAN festival would attract far more people, and would be far more enjoyable for all. And yes, participating in this fruitboy festival DOES mean you are gay!!!
Comment by Lol
February 16th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
surprise…..BUTT SEX!
Comment by samuel bonney
February 27th, 2009 at 3:37 am
i don’t like it,one bit
Comment by jasmine
March 20th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
yikes!
i am still wondering how can this festival be like ‘this’ crowded.
haha~
Comment by dude
April 25th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Saidaiji? Don’t think so, I used to live in the town that they were having this festival in. It’s Inazawa, Aichi-ken.
Comment by Kelly
April 30th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
So Gay
Comment by resabambino
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 am
Are people sitting and watching this event? From the picture