(Mostly) Naked Man 2008
Feb. 19th, 2008 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kodalaiThis weekend, I took a trip down to Okayama in order to attend the famous yearly "Naked Man Festival" (Hadaka Matsuri) there.
A more accurate name would be "Nearly Naked Man" festival, but other than that, it's probably a lot like you're imagining. Somewhere back in the mists of time – the tradition is about 500 years old – the Japanese decided to have a bunch of guys strip down to loincloths and run around a shrine bare-ass naked in the middle of winter, and then fight. This is supposed to bring luck or health or good harvests or something to the town in general and the participants in particular, especially if you end up holding one of the eight (two big, six small) "lucky sticks" that they hand out, but really I don't wonder if they just continue the tradition because it's hilarious.
I saw all sorts of guys running (yes, men only, probably just as well.) There were some pretty cute guys, but also some not-cute guys – big and fat, too skinny, very hairy, too old – some real grandfathers ran, too. Very traditional. There was even one little tiny kid, couldn't have been more than 6 years old (don't worry, HE was wearing clothes and sweaters, it was just very adorable.) Also, a number of JETs and other gaijins ran. Aside from the participating-in-traditional-festivals-brings-luck aspect, I rather think running in Naked Man Festival is sort of like giving up clothes for Lent. It brings you to really, really appreciate it for the rest of the year. I'm sure most of those guys hadn't been out there half an hour before they were thinking "Clothes – what a great idea!"
Participants wear headbands, tabi socks, and loincloths (fundoshi, like what sumo wrestlers wear.) That's all. Starting around 8 PM, they organize into groups and start running around and around the temple to try and keep warm. This year, at least it wasn't raining or snowing, but it was still almost freezing out in Okayama (though warmer than it has been up here in Toyama.) Occasionally they run into the shrine's fountain and jump in the water, then back out again. They shout rousing cries of "Rashoi!" as they go.
This goes on until about midnight. At that point, ALL the participants are crowded into the shrine grounds. Reports later said that there were about 9,000 celebratants this year, though I don't know how many were runners and how many were spectators. At least a thousand, I'm certain, maybe more. At midnight exactly, the shrine's lights suddenly go out, and they toss the 8 lucky sticks into the air… and the runners all wrestle for them.
Here are some pictures. They're not very good, I'm afraid. It was too crowded to get any really good shot angles, and my camera is not really smart enough to cope with night time picture taking. It couldn't decide whether it wanted to use flash or not, so most of the pictures are pretty worthless, but here you go anyway. (Also, warning, they're pretty big. And maybe not entirely worksafe.)
Probably my best picture of the night: Some runners pose in the streets of Okayama before the festival.
No festival would be complete without Hello Kitty balloons
Some runners making a circuit around the shrine. Don't they look cold?
Yeah, NOW my camera decides to use flash...
Wonder what the big B thought of all this...
Runners go into the water! Splashy splash! No, I have no idea how cold this water was, I didn't stick my hand in to find out.
Yes, I was really there, here's proof! Featured in this picture are![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ayelle's scarf and cryogenia's shoes.
And here's one picture I didn't take, because I couldn't possibly have gotten a good shot: The final event when everyone crowds into the shrine. Yeah that's a lot of naked.
I have mixed feelings about having gone to see it. On one hand, it was a lot of fun. :D Watching the runners was a lot of fun, and just being part of the whole celebration. And as at any festival there were stalls selling unhealthy festival foods and cheap souvenirs. I bought and ate a hot dog covered in ketchup, which seemed to me to be an appropriate venue. The shrine itself was very interesting to visit – I saw some really awesome taiko drumming performances – and Okayama was pretty, and by going I got a chance to fulfill one of my New Years' Resolutions.
On the down side, it was *not* a long weekend, and Okayama is not close by. It was a six-hour train ride each way, extended in both directions by weather delays (we passed through some pretty fierce snowstorms.) I didn't know most of the other JETs who attended. I wasn't able to sleep well the night before, or eat a proper meal for the entire weekend, so I've started out the final week of classes exhausted and with a messed up biorhythm.
And it was COLD. At least I was wearing clothes! (In fact, I came considerably better dressed for the weather than most of the other JETs, who came from warmer prefectures than Toyama.) But standing around in near-freezing weather for four hours, especially once they pushed us all up into the stands and we couldn't walk around the shrine grounds any more. By the time I got back to the hotel I was staying at (6100 yen for approx. 4 hours sleep, blah) I was ready to pass out and die… and then the 7 hr train ride back home on Sunday morning, and school the next day.
Also? When I told the guy from Okayama that Toyama was under two feet of snow at the moment, I thought I was exaggerating. BUT NO. When I got home I had to haul my bike out of the train station shelter, through snow that came up higher than my knees. Not a snow drift, mind you – just ordinary unshoveled snow. :/
Overall I'm glad I went, I guess, but I don't think I'll be taking any trips around Japan any more except on long weekends.
A more accurate name would be "Nearly Naked Man" festival, but other than that, it's probably a lot like you're imagining. Somewhere back in the mists of time – the tradition is about 500 years old – the Japanese decided to have a bunch of guys strip down to loincloths and run around a shrine bare-ass naked in the middle of winter, and then fight. This is supposed to bring luck or health or good harvests or something to the town in general and the participants in particular, especially if you end up holding one of the eight (two big, six small) "lucky sticks" that they hand out, but really I don't wonder if they just continue the tradition because it's hilarious.
I saw all sorts of guys running (yes, men only, probably just as well.) There were some pretty cute guys, but also some not-cute guys – big and fat, too skinny, very hairy, too old – some real grandfathers ran, too. Very traditional. There was even one little tiny kid, couldn't have been more than 6 years old (don't worry, HE was wearing clothes and sweaters, it was just very adorable.) Also, a number of JETs and other gaijins ran. Aside from the participating-in-traditional-festivals-brings-luck aspect, I rather think running in Naked Man Festival is sort of like giving up clothes for Lent. It brings you to really, really appreciate it for the rest of the year. I'm sure most of those guys hadn't been out there half an hour before they were thinking "Clothes – what a great idea!"
Participants wear headbands, tabi socks, and loincloths (fundoshi, like what sumo wrestlers wear.) That's all. Starting around 8 PM, they organize into groups and start running around and around the temple to try and keep warm. This year, at least it wasn't raining or snowing, but it was still almost freezing out in Okayama (though warmer than it has been up here in Toyama.) Occasionally they run into the shrine's fountain and jump in the water, then back out again. They shout rousing cries of "Rashoi!" as they go.
This goes on until about midnight. At that point, ALL the participants are crowded into the shrine grounds. Reports later said that there were about 9,000 celebratants this year, though I don't know how many were runners and how many were spectators. At least a thousand, I'm certain, maybe more. At midnight exactly, the shrine's lights suddenly go out, and they toss the 8 lucky sticks into the air… and the runners all wrestle for them.
Here are some pictures. They're not very good, I'm afraid. It was too crowded to get any really good shot angles, and my camera is not really smart enough to cope with night time picture taking. It couldn't decide whether it wanted to use flash or not, so most of the pictures are pretty worthless, but here you go anyway. (Also, warning, they're pretty big. And maybe not entirely worksafe.)
Probably my best picture of the night: Some runners pose in the streets of Okayama before the festival.
No festival would be complete without Hello Kitty balloons
Some runners making a circuit around the shrine. Don't they look cold?
Yeah, NOW my camera decides to use flash...
Wonder what the big B thought of all this...
Runners go into the water! Splashy splash! No, I have no idea how cold this water was, I didn't stick my hand in to find out.
Yes, I was really there, here's proof! Featured in this picture are
ayelle's scarf and cryogenia's shoes.And here's one picture I didn't take, because I couldn't possibly have gotten a good shot: The final event when everyone crowds into the shrine. Yeah that's a lot of naked.
I have mixed feelings about having gone to see it. On one hand, it was a lot of fun. :D Watching the runners was a lot of fun, and just being part of the whole celebration. And as at any festival there were stalls selling unhealthy festival foods and cheap souvenirs. I bought and ate a hot dog covered in ketchup, which seemed to me to be an appropriate venue. The shrine itself was very interesting to visit – I saw some really awesome taiko drumming performances – and Okayama was pretty, and by going I got a chance to fulfill one of my New Years' Resolutions.
On the down side, it was *not* a long weekend, and Okayama is not close by. It was a six-hour train ride each way, extended in both directions by weather delays (we passed through some pretty fierce snowstorms.) I didn't know most of the other JETs who attended. I wasn't able to sleep well the night before, or eat a proper meal for the entire weekend, so I've started out the final week of classes exhausted and with a messed up biorhythm.
And it was COLD. At least I was wearing clothes! (In fact, I came considerably better dressed for the weather than most of the other JETs, who came from warmer prefectures than Toyama.) But standing around in near-freezing weather for four hours, especially once they pushed us all up into the stands and we couldn't walk around the shrine grounds any more. By the time I got back to the hotel I was staying at (6100 yen for approx. 4 hours sleep, blah) I was ready to pass out and die… and then the 7 hr train ride back home on Sunday morning, and school the next day.
Also? When I told the guy from Okayama that Toyama was under two feet of snow at the moment, I thought I was exaggerating. BUT NO. When I got home I had to haul my bike out of the train station shelter, through snow that came up higher than my knees. Not a snow drift, mind you – just ordinary unshoveled snow. :/
Overall I'm glad I went, I guess, but I don't think I'll be taking any trips around Japan any more except on long weekends.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 09:32 am (UTC)^______^ That sounds like something you need to experience at least once while you're there. I hope the people who participated felt it was worth it. I'm shivering just from imagining how cold they were!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 11:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 05:42 pm (UTC)Loved your pictures. ^___^
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 06:22 pm (UTC)Also, I clipped the bit of you in the scarf and added it to my profile on Ravelry (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Ayelle) -- let me know if that's not okay. :) I would have cropped just around the scarf, but I think it would have been hard to make sense of the pic without your head. (Now I just gotta get a picture of
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 05:19 am (UTC)Personally, I think it's endearing.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:32 am (UTC)Just FYI, I eventually decided not to use the buttons on it regularly, although they work well. The problem is that it can be hard to unbutton them again and I'm afraid of damaging it. So instead, I found a couple of long, smooth hair clips and use those to pin it in place. Works great!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 01:46 am (UTC)Cicada summers give way
To winter's nude men.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:30 am (UTC)Runners rub their chests
Shout, "Rashoi!"
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 05:26 am (UTC)Water's fucking cold
(I want tea)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-20 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-21 04:30 am (UTC)huggles for great pics and for you being brave and going to the event!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-21 04:20 pm (UTC)Naked Man
Date: 2008-02-23 12:58 pm (UTC)