Wet Japanese Naked Festival - Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri

Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri in Nagoya is a Japanese naked festival which could possibly be one of the oldest. This year it was certainly one of the wettest (with the exception of Dairokuten in Chiba where the participants directly jump in a muddy pond and start wrestling).

The original purpose of the festival was to drive away a plague. Today it is performed to get rid of bad luck and bring about good luck and good harvests.

One person is chosen to be the lucky symbol of the festival, the Shinotoko. The Shinotoko is completely shaven and unlike his fundoshi (loincloth) brethren, he is completely naked. The other participants chase him in an attempt to touch him in order to receive good luck.

I was at the festival with fellow Youtubers Luciditi, CaliboyinJapan, and our host Gimmeabreakman.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Luciditi
http://www.youtube.com/user/CaliBoyinJapan
http://www.youtube.com/user/gimmeabreakman

Gimmeabreakman has been to this festival several times and has several great videos on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vomojcrhYRQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLF2lKN3rSI

I meant to interview him about the festival but by the end we were so wet and cold we just left without seeing the Shinotoko much to Luciditi's sorrow.

We might appear in a coffee commercial BTW.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Japan
• naked
• festival
• hadaka-matsuri
• WTF
• gimmeabreakman
• caliboyinjapan
• luciditi
• Nagoya
• Konomiya
• naked-festival
• japanese-culture

[MicknFumi]

hahaha I'm starting to wonder if you just like these cultural events for the sake they bring ; )

[RoninDave]

it is a perk to be sure!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

I would need to shave down before I could join those dudes :-D

[BlkUnk]

strangely enough i wish i was there...0_o.....

[varun009]

ah! invert boner!

[I514]

I AM A MAN! *punch*

[cherrykitten21]

i was there!!! it was awesome even tho i got mega soaked ^_^

[TELEMAKFILMS]

good one !!

[mohawkgarry]

nice, festivals are always a good :D though everywhere had their own ideas of purifying disease and evils.

the stonehaven fireball festival in scotland, its thought to have originally for purifylng 'harmful influences', but it's miles away from that festival, even if its trying to do the same thing.

interesting to see the japanese take on in :P

[bluesheeft]

great vid. interviewing random Japanese people who are hanging around adds a lot.

[h1118]

Hahahaha. Genki, genki...I AM A MAN!

[Kortik]

is that sake cup called Masu?