褌
ふんどし
fundoshi
traditional Japanese loincloth undergarment
西大寺
さいだいじ
Saidai-ji
temple in Okayama
裸祭り
はだか まつり
hadaka matsuri
Naked Man Festival
Some of you may have caught a strange post I made on Facebook over the weekend:
I was in Okayama prefecture this past Saturday attending a very special, if unusual, Japanese festival that happens every year in Okayama City. At this festival, countless men, young and old, drop trou and hike a 褌 up their rear end, and then run around the streets surrounding 西大寺, one of Okayama's main temples. Why such an event takes place during the coldest month of the year says something about the people who choose to participate, though it is quite hilarious to watch a bunch of grown men clutching each other, jogging to the beat of taiko drums while screaming at the top of their lungs.
The event is called 裸祭り, or the Naked Man Festival.