Hadaka Mairi Matsuri (insert "Chariots of Fire" theme)

Japan is the land of the weird and wonderful, but even weirdness can push the limits sometimes. The other night a bunch of us drove an hour or so to the village of Yanaizu in the western part of the prefecture where the annual Hadaka Mairi Matsuri, or Naked Running Festival was happening. Before you get any ideas, only men take part in this festival (though I read that there are female versions, albeit a bit rarer) and they wear traditional underwear called fundoshi for modesty. I reckon it's for protection too, because they have to climb up a rope to get to the rafters of the local shrine, and rope burns on your privates is no laughing matter, unless you're into that sort of thing. That aside, it truly is an endurance event, because the guys have to run from somewhere in the town in the snow, up several flights of frozen, slippery stone steps to get to the shrine. I can only imagine just how cold it really is, since I'm with the rest of the townspeople bundled up in scarves and parkas. We got there just before the event started, so we stuck around the shrine where everyone (who was dressed) was. At 8:30 the signal was given so the fundoshi brigade could finally head up to the shrine for a little warmth.  

... and there was much merrymaking. The participants ran the gamut (hah pun!) from 7 to 70, from students to office workers to farmers. I was quite surprised that it was the old guys who got up the rope really quick compared to the young'uns. Guess old folks here are pretty spry. Though you can't see it clearly in the video, a lot of the guys had wishes written on their back or arms, for such things as passing high school entrance exams and an end to animal testing. I suppose the custom is that if they make it up the rope, their wishes will come true. They'd better, considering the freezing conditions that night. Possibly the worst off were the kids, who didn't have the benefit of massive quantities of alcohol to dull the senses. Poor things. XD After a couple of hours of yelling and climbing, all the guys got a small token of appreciation from the shrine (nice lavender fundoshi, ojii-san!), and a good long soak in the local onsen to stave off hypothermia. No pics of that of course, since I wasn't allowed in. I tell you what, I've never been less turned on in my life, but at least it's something that you don't often get to see, even if you live in this country long term. Methinks I'll have to do some more research into that other festival where they carry giant wooden wangs through the streets in some fertility ritual. Hurray for cultural exchange!