.::* Living and Dreaming *::.

A Naked Festival and St. Patrick's day Parade

So my boss let me have Friday off so that I could go to the Konomiya Naked Festival (Hadaka Matsuri). This festival started in the year 767 and happens on the 13th day of the lunar calendar. What happens at this festival? A lot of men, wearing only white loin clothes, carry these big bamboo poles and charge throught the streets towards Konomiya shrine. When I say charge, I mean more stumble drunkenly. Some other stuff happens at the shrine but I didn't see any of it because we were in a bad location and I was too short! Someone did mention butt slapping to pass off your bad luck to these people but lucky for me, I didn't have any bad luck to pass off.



Today was a day of running some errands. I met up with Aaron at Osu Kannon and lucky for us, we caught a St. Patrick's parade complete with a marching band. It was kind of entertaining seeing Japanese people decked out in green and clover stickers, celebrating the day by congregating in front of a BUDDHIST temple. Aaron was also quick to point out a girl in a witches costume. Anything goes in Japan!



We also checked out a tattoo parlor. If you want a tattoo, don't do it in Japan cuz it'll cost you your good arm and the other leg. $200 for a consultation, then $600 for each session for anyone who is curious. Maybe that is just the one place we went to but I am no longer curious to find out.

posted by ~diana~ @ 3:33 AM