Every year on the second Saturday of January, an exciting tug of war event is held in a small town called Aizu-Misato in the south of Fukushima prefecture. It is believed this event is a 400 year old tradition rooted in the Shinto Religion!
Men wearing next-to-nothing in the middle of winter battle it out to win blessings for the new year.
More info & access here:
AloJapan.com