Japan’s Naked Festival

Japan’s Naked Festival

Young men compete for a sacred stick – but why are there 500 policemen watching their every move?

Okay, so they’re not completely naked. The Hadaka Matsuri is a type of Japanese festival in which the participants wear a white Japanese loincloth. And goosebumps, if the festival is held in the depths of winter, like this one is.

A few things you should know about the Naked Festival:
• It’s only for guys. That may be in part because of the loincloth.
• They typically happen in winter. And they usually have to parade around outside for a few hours.
• It generally happens at night.
• The men compete for two sacred sticks. The winners are blessed with luck in the coming year.

This particular Naked Festival holds a dark secret. Apparently a couple of yakuza gangs had taken to fighting in the streets. In a uniquely Japanese solution, the town government got together with the local temple and convinced the yakuza to fight it out during the festival. Now, for fifteen minutes each year, they’re allowed to punch, kick, and draw blood while ostensibly fighting for the sacred sticks. It has successfully taken the violence off the streets, and most of the spectators are none the wiser.

Only young men without visible tattoos are allowed into the festival, so the older, nastier yakuza are excluded from the fight. It’s a brilliant solution.

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Category: Travel