Celebrating important events with fun, colossal terror!
For those who have never seen a Japanese festival in action before, it’s quite the experience. Along with music and dancing filling the streets, there’re usually people carrying giant “portable shrines” featuring everything from samurai and dragons to Gundam mecha to… well, phalluses.
But when it comes to family-friendly portable shrines, it doesn’t get much better than Tokyo University of the Arts’ recent creations. To celebrate the blooming of Ueno Park’s cherry blossoms, they brought out these unbelievable monsters:
▼ “Tokyo University of the Art’s portable shrines were displayed at Ueno Park.
That giant salamander is so cool.”
上野公園の広場に東京芸大の藝祭神輿が野外展示されていた。
— くろだまさし (@kurodamasa) March 26, 2016
巨大オオサンショウウオ神輿いいなぁいいなぁ pic.twitter.com/6mwxgnmRk6
▼ Good luck getting rid of this salamander from your doorstep!
▼ “Hello tasty snack!”
▼ A tiny human sitting on top of it, to show scale.
▼ Hey thanks for carrying that shrine on your back, giant white boar!
▼ Er, I mean… yes, I can carry it instead. If you insist….
▼ Seems like the boar has a soft spot for those who bring smaller,
golden boars to appease him.
▼ Sometimes you just gotta grab the bull by the horns…
▼ …but not when the bull is erupting forth out of a mountain.
▼ So this is what happened to all those dead Tamagotchis….
▼ We’ve seen this guy before, and now he’s back, crushing temples as usual.
▼ Yup, still crushing temples from this side too.
▼ “That human would be in so much trouble
if I didn’t enjoy crushing temples so much!”
Seeing giant festival shrines like that would get me pumped for anything. Blooming cherry blossoms, Brussels sprout harvest, paperclip sale at the local office supply store…you name it. If these monsters were there, I would be too.
If you want to see more work by students at Tokyo University of the Arts, then check out the Six Realms of Buddhism as Whales exhibit that they put up earlier this year. The whales may not be as big as these portable shrine monsters, but they’re no less gorgeous to look at.
Source: Twitter/@kurodamasa via CuRAZY
Images: Twitter/@kurodamasa
University students create giant artwork of an octopus attacking a temple, now seeking a buyer
Hanazono Jinja Shrine: Lanterns, stalls and rakes at annual Tori no Ichi cock festival in Tokyo
What’s up with the “mosquito buzz” noise at Shibuya Station?
Brand-new Square Enix Cafe to open in Tokyo…and in Los Angeles too!
What are the worst things about living in the Japanese countryside?[Survey]
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
Temple with 600-year-old tree near busy Tokyo station is like a tranquil pocket dimension
Six ice creams you should try at Baskin-Robbins Japan, according to staff who work there
New indie game The Exit 8 may make us never want to enter another Japanese subway station again
Pringles teams up with Hello Kitty for new Sanrio collection in Japan
Secretive Ghibli Museum starts video diary to give glimpse inside anime attraction【Videos】
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku Station
Secret staff cafeteria in Tokyo is a hidden gem you won’t find in travel guides
Tinder just opened a convenience store in Japan, aimed at adults only
Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time
“Disaster”: 2018 Kanji of the Year unveiled by Buddhist monk at Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says