We Visit the 2013 Kanamara Festival and Bring You a Slideshow as Long as… You Know

On the first Sunday of April in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Kanayama Shrine holds a festival known casually as the “Penis Festival” on account of its huge array of multi-colored members.

Known as one of Japan’s oddest festivals, the Kanamara Festival draws huge throbbing crowds from around the world. We sent a reporter to this year’s festival for a glans-on experience. The following is her report, along with more photos and videos than you could shake a wang at.

■ The Shrine is Packed Tight

Arriving at the main area of Kanayama Shrine, it was packed like a rush hour Tokyo train with spectators. A lot of foreigners, especially Europeans and Americans, came out to celebrate and worship a peen or two. Strangely for such a unique event, it had a noticeably global atmosphere. Throw in wall-to-wall penises and you get chaos.

■ They Come in All Shapes and Sizes

Entering the Shrine grounds you immediately notice the “Elizabeth Mikoshi” which is the centerpiece parade float in the shape of a massive bright pink love muscle. Photos I saw before haven’t really done it justice. Lined up next to it were the wooden “Big Mikoshi” and “Kanamara Boat Mikoshi” made of iron also in the shape of a phallus.

▼ Elizabeth Mikoshi being carried through the streets

▼ The Kanamara Boat Mikoshi

■ Penis Souvenirs A-Plenty

Looking around the shrines, I came across stands and tables peddling a variety of penis themed goods. If you ever wished you had a penis-shaped something or other, this is the place to be. T-shirts, candy, figures, towels, candles and more all bearing the image of sex organs.

■ Insert A Penis into a Torii and the Crowd Goes Wild

According to the official site, the celebration is expected to start at 11:00 am, and the mikoshi parade from 1:00 pm. However, this year things kicked off at 10:00 am and the march of the penis took off a little after noon.

The parade went through the streets as Elizabeth and friends towered over the homes and businesses they passed by. The music and energy of the crowd steadily built to a climax and as the floats passed through a torii gate to the temple the crowd let out a roar of excitement.

■ A Festival to Ward Off AIDS

Incidentally, Kanayama Shrine was originally dedicated to the god of blacksmiths. However, the Kanamari Festival arose from the shrine being used by local inn workers dabbling in prostitution (meshimori onna).

Beyond the obvious, this festival actually has a long history of prayers being answered for happy marriages, safe childbirth, romance, business, and fertility. In recent years it has become known internationally as a festival to ward off AIDS.

So mark off your calendars for 6 April, 2014 if you want to join in the phallic fun too.

Original Article by Mami
Kanamara Festival: Official Website (Japanese)
If you’d like to read more about the Kanamara Festival check out our previous article for more details.