Some travelers go to Japan to observe culture and festivals. Among the many events and matsuri (festival) anually celebrated as preservation of the identity and culture of Japan, the following shall take you to their weird and odd side.
1. Nakizumo Festival- Have you heard of a festival for crying babies and Sumo wrestlers? A pair of sumo wrestlers take a break from their dirty arena and compete by making babies cry. The parents will handle their babies to the sumo wrestlers. They will try to scare babies by shaking it and making loud noises. The louder the baby cries, is believed to be the healthiest, and will be declared as winner.
2. Ose Matsuri- Have you seen strong fishermen express their feminine side? Annually, these townsfolk gather up, wear make-up and female costumes as part of celebrating the festival. The tradition has originated from when a wife of a fisherman gave his husband a kimono for protection.
3. Hadaka Matsuri- Are you brave to flaunt your half-naked body in public? Male participants of the Hadaka Matsuri only wears loincloth (called fundoshi) and sometimes a short robe called happi. Thousands of participants struggle over another for a pair of small wooden stick thrown by a priest. The man who gets hold of the "Shingi" and puts it upright in a wooden cup called masu filled with rice grains will be blessed with a year of happiness.
4. Onbashira Festival- It is known to be the deadly log-riding festival. The participants bravely ride the logs or pillars as it slide on the steep slope of the mountainside. Being known to claim lives, this festival is only celebrated once every six years.
5. Muon Bon Odori- This is quite a weird experience to see one dancing in public and in silence, right? But this festival will make you think weirder. The Japanese women put on earphones and dance gracefully. The reason, some complain that the music of Bon dance is loud.
6. Shukatsu Festa- This festival will let you feel what is like to lay down in a coffin, in full costume! Definitely must try before you die! Kidding aside, it's quite creepy to see someone inside a coffin with eyes wide open and smiling. It'll also make you love your life even more.
7. Shinto Kanamara Matsuri- Japan is known to be a liberated yet a conservative nation. Behind this fact, they celebrate Shinto Kanamara Festival with phallus as the central theme of the event. To explain why they celebrate the male reproductive organ, there is a shrine where prostitutes used to pray for protection from sexually transmitted diseases. To add, it is also held to pray for prosperity, marriage, easy delivery, and fertility.
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