Japan is famous for its numerous festivals that take place throughout the year. Some go beyond the limit and become something bizarre and strange for us Westerners, or perhaps even for them. In today’s article, I have selected some bizarre and strange festivals for you to feel like participating.
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Hokkai Heso Matsuri
In the city of Furano in Hokkaido, the Heso Matsuri or Belly Button Festival takes place. In this festival, participants paint faces on their bellies and wear special costumes that give the belly face a “body”.
They then dance to compete for prizes, although perhaps the real winners are the spectators! This is a fun game with about 5,000 participants exposing their bellies on the 28th and 29th of July each year (article cover photo).
Kanamara Matsuri
The Kanamara Matsuri is a very popular festival in Japan and is known internationally. Held annually on the first Sunday of April, Shinto priests carry around a portable shrine called mikoshi with a metal penis on top of a boat-shaped structure.
In modern times, many people gather to take pictures of the metal member and buy souvenirs like lollipops, chocolate-covered bananas, and other somewhat curious items. Then they complain about saying that Japan is strange and bizarre.
Hitorizumo Matsuri (sumo)
In Ehime Prefecture, a great battle for the fate of the rice crop takes place every May 5th, or Children’s Day. This fight is held at the Oyamazumi Shrine on Omishima Island. This battle is fought by a sumo wrestler against the spirit of rice. That is, someone invisible. How will we know if the sumo wrestlers are not cheating when they say they won the fight?
Hadaka Matsuri – Naked Men Desperate for an Amulet
Many who visit Japan need to prepare for nudism in public places like onsen (hot springs) and sento (public baths), places where modesty is left at the entrance. So it is no surprise that there are festivals that celebrate nudism.
In Hadaka Matsuri, men wear nothing but a fundoshi (loincloth). The most famous takes place at Saidaji Temple in Okayama Prefecture. In this festival, about 10,000 male participants wear loincloths in a tight space rubbing against each other. They desperately compete for lucky amulets called shingi.
The festival takes place on the third Saturday of February each year, and the weather is absolutely freezing. In addition, participants take a plunge into cold water! Are you brave enough to face this violent and testosterone-filled weather?
Nakizumo Festival
Nakizumo is a festival aimed at bringing good health to babies, but for that, they must cry. During the time of Sensoji in Tokyo, about 60 babies are taken to a sumo ring, where wrestlers gently shake the babies, and the one who cries first wins.
A referee is on hand shouting “NAKE, NAKE!” (“Cry, Cry!”) and if the babies still do not cry, some volunteers with masks enter the ring to scare the children and speed up the process. Nakizumo competitions take place in various parts of Japan, and depending on the region, the baby that cries first is the loser! This ritual has been happening for about 400 years, although the event at Sensoji Temple only started in 1991.
Pantu Festival
Actually, there are two versions of this festival, both practiced in Miyako on the island of Okinawa. Both involve the Pantu, supernatural beings that exist somewhere between gods and demons and wander the city with a procession of priests to drive away evil spirits. It is believed that the festival is related to similar festivals in Indonesia and Micronesia.
The festival in the Hirara Shimajiri area is called Pantu Punaha, and it is the last of three festivals held at different times throughout the year, collectively called Pantu Satupunaha. One of the modalities of this festival involves three men covered in grass and mud walking around everywhere. They carry sticks in one hand and a scary mask in the other. People who get dirty by the Pantu will have a year of protection. Homeowners also invite the Pantu to bless their homes.
Namahage Matsuri
Another strange festival used to scare children is the Namahage Matsuri. The Namahage is a demon that wears a mask and goes around scaring children in the city of Oga in Akita. On New Year’s Eve, the Namahage walks around the area dancing and shouting at lazy and disobedient children.
Parents invite them into their homes, offering mochi (rice cake) and sake in exchange for the promise of good health and a good harvest in the new year. But these “demons” make sure to scare a little the disobedient children before moving on to the next place. The video below shows the entire process, from the purification of the Namahage.
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