I won't be back...so I better blog about it.
JAPAN TIME
Saturday, April 12, 2008,10:27 AM
Ode to the Penis????
Kanamara Matsuri
On the first Sunday of April each year, a very interesting festival is held at the Kanamara Shrine in the Kanagawa Prefecture in Tokyo. It's known as the Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Steel Phallus. The festival dates back to the Edo period(1603-1867), when prostitutes would visit the shrine to pray for good business and protection from syphillis. (umm? ok) At this time of year they would carry an image of the shrine's phallus around the streets. Today the Kanamara Festival is a fertility festival (too bad I am in japan....or I'd want to make babies after the FERTILITY FESTIVAL hahaha) The Festival these days is primarily held to help raise money for HIV research.
The festival started with maiko(trainee geisha) dancing on a stage. This was then followed by the mikoshi(portable shrine) with phalluses on the top being blessed. After this they were then carried through the streets of Tokyo. In fact one of the shrines(the big pink one) was carried by a group of transvestites. **Nothing like Asian Trannies!!??**
If you want to you can even join in carrying the shrines if you like (I declined thanks). It was hilarious. Everywhere PENISs.....grown men sucking on Penis Suckers, carving penis's out of veggies, etc etc Yeah it was a hoot. Glad I went...and it certainly showed what a wonderful sense of humor Japanese people have.
On the first Sunday of April each year, a very interesting festival is held at the Kanamara Shrine in the Kanagawa Prefecture in Tokyo. It's known as the Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Steel Phallus. The festival dates back to the Edo period(1603-1867), when prostitutes would visit the shrine to pray for good business and protection from syphillis. (umm? ok) At this time of year they would carry an image of the shrine's phallus around the streets. Today the Kanamara Festival is a fertility festival (too bad I am in japan....or I'd want to make babies after the FERTILITY FESTIVAL hahaha) The Festival these days is primarily held to help raise money for HIV research.
The festival started with maiko(trainee geisha) dancing on a stage. This was then followed by the mikoshi(portable shrine) with phalluses on the top being blessed. After this they were then carried through the streets of Tokyo. In fact one of the shrines(the big pink one) was carried by a group of transvestites. **Nothing like Asian Trannies!!??**
If you want to you can even join in carrying the shrines if you like (I declined thanks). It was hilarious. Everywhere PENISs.....grown men sucking on Penis Suckers, carving penis's out of veggies, etc etc Yeah it was a hoot. Glad I went...and it certainly showed what a wonderful sense of humor Japanese people have.
