Japan – Kasuga Shrine in Nara
Jun 10
Tag: Shrine
Japan – Weddings in Kamakura
Apr 21
While I was at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine there were two weddings. One of the interesting things about the weddings is that the Bride and Groom get paraded around the Shrine so that everybody can see them and take pictures.
Japan – Kamakura
Apr 20
I went on a day trip to Kamakura, which is a small beach town about 60 km south of Tokyo. It’s a popular tourist spot because of it’s beaches and many Temples and Shrines.
The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura.
Japan – Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus)
Apr 09
Japan, Tokyo Festival, Shrine, Strange 1 Comment
Japan has many interesting and amazing things to see and do, some are even a bit strange…this is the strangest thing I’ve seen so far. This past weekend I went to the annual Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki called Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus).
The festival dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867) when prostitutes prayed for good business and protection from disease.
Somewhere behind all of the guys with cameras is a lady sitting on a giant wooden penis.
Unfortunately this is the best photo I have of someone riding the giant penis.
She’s feeling the power of a giant penis.
Yes, that’s a gianormous pink penis sticking up out of the crowd. What’s even stranger is that the pink penis’s name is Elizabeth.
This kid is going to need lots of consoling when he grows up. He’ll have strange nightmares about giant black penises and he won’t understand why.
The penises head out of the shrine for a parade around town.
The penis parade heading down the main street of town.
These guys were carving penises out of vegetables. The vegi-penises were later auctioned off to raise money for AIDS research.
These two are obviously impressed by the skilled carving.
This guy is just a little bit too weird.