Wednesday, 5 April 2023

Honen Matsuri

While I was in Kyoto it was Labour Day back home, so I got a day off work. There was a festival called Honen Matsuri on in Nagoya, which is about an hour away on the Shinkansen so I headed over to check it out.

Like a lot of Japanese festivals the various stalls you see at these things were in attendance.

The usual suspects were there, like a Takoyaki stand with plush octopus

Some of the others were there as well, only in penis themed format

chocolate dipped "bananas"


There were some people in costume

posing with people for photos

Some local women were chosen by lottery to participate


The festival involves a parade from one shrine to another, this is the finish line

The parade route

A flag near the front of the parade


The women who won the lottery get to carry wooden phalluses for the crowd to rub for a blessing

There were some floats being carried

and a cart carrying sake that was being handed to the crowd

I walked along beside the parade and they kept giving me Sake. I stopped at 21 cups.

There was also a large group carrying this giant wooden phallus



Arrival at the Shrine



After the parade was done the officials lined up on a scaffolding and threw mochi to the crowd

some people came prepared


I recommend catching it. Getting hit in the head with a giant mochi hurts.

I caught 6, but I gave one away.


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