Cherry blossoms and Kanamara Festival flags in Kawasaki, Japan.
Kawasaki, a name that normally resonates 'motorcycles' is a town less than an hour from Tokyo by train and a place that resonates with 'genitalia' in early April when a local Shinto shrine or jinja holds a colourful and hilarious one day festival to pray for safe sex - the Kanamara Matsuri or 'Festival of the Steel Penis'.
Mikoshi - portable shrines - awaiting a priestly blessing in front of the Kanamara Shrine
This spring event has been banging away for 300 years now, initiated by local prostitutes seeking protection from sexually transmitted diseases but these days supported by the whole community in a typically guilt-free Japanese celebration of genitalia, fertility and good-natured fun. Transvestites, gays, couples, grandmothers, hawkers and of course curious gaijin [foreigners] mix together to suck on genital lollies, pose with vast whangs, buy erotic trinkets, bid for hand-carved radish dongs and drink plenty of beer under the blue skies [with luck] and white blossoms of a Japanese spring. Shrine profits go to Aids benefits.
Mikoshi leaving Kanamara shrine gateway for a bounce around the underpants of Kawasaki.
Japanese people have a surprisingly relaxed attitude to the sexual business, probably not unconnected with the liberal attitude of Japan's predominant religions, Buddhism and its Shinto variant. Philosophers say that Shame is the driving force of Japan, as opposed to Christian Guilt, so we have to assume that there is no shame attached to the attractions of a giant dick.
A sensational Kodo band follows a western style rock band, and all for free.
This festival starts about 11am and becomes distinctly flaccid around sunset, weather-permitting.
A Tokyo resident experiencing oral satisfaction in Kawasaki. Next, Takayama Spring Festival.
The Tagata shrine [jinja] Komaki, Japan, engages in similar social intercourse to Kanamara - though with bigger equipment - at the Hounen Penis Fertility Festival, aka Chiwawa Matsuri, annually on March 15. Komaki is less than an hour by train from Nagoya.
And I mean it is not like it isn’t obvious that EVERYONE is either taking photos and/or videos of them. See for yourself.
The other thing that surprised me was how many people brought young children and made it a family event. A lot of families seem fine with their young sons or daughters sucking on a lollipop shaped like a penis or having the children pose with the big phallus. I mean, really? You think that even though everyone obviously is taking photos that they will not take your photo or is it that you just don’t care?
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider myself conservative by any means and I was not offended, embarrassed, or uncomfortable to be at the penis festival, but just knowing that my mom and dad read my website from time to time makes me somewhat uncomfortable posting about Kanamara Matsuri! I am not sure I would like to go to this festival with my parents and if I had kids, if I were to bring them, I seriously doubt I would let them suck a penis or vagina shaped lollipop with so many people/photographers around. Especially in Japan where everyone has a cellphone, and every cellphone can take photos and/or videos. I mean, REALLY? These people don’t mind? This isn’t an awkward situation?
Anyway, there are two main parts to the penis festival, the parade and the events at the shrine. The parade is fairly short and participants carry around 3 portable shrines. A big steel phallus, a big pink phallus (carried by transvestites) and a wooden one.
The shrine is where most of these photos are from and maybe you can get a good idea of what goes on there. In addition to posing with penis you can, carve a penis (or vagina) from a large radish, eat food shaped like a penis (or vagina), walk over a relatively small penis or buy numerous things shaped like a penis (or vagina), all presumably for good luck with being fertile and protection from HIV and other STDs.
Now this guy has the right idea.
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