Hadaka Matsuri: The Naked Man Festival

Japan… Where else can you go to see thousands of loincloth-clad men soaking wet and frolicking around in the wintry night?

The Naked Man Festival (aka Hadaka Matsuri) takes place in Saidaiji, Japan.

Men from all over the world flock to this small town to consume copious amounts of sake and run around in the middle of winter in their underwear.



They form small groups and run around the neighborhood chanting “Washoi! Washoi! Washoi!”

The climax of the event takes place at exactly midnight, when two small wooden sticks (shingi) are dropped in the local temple.

The man who catches one will have a year of good luck.

These sticks are so highly prized, that the men clamber over each other to grab them, resulting in the strange tangle of bodies you can see here.

Louise Brown

TravelPod Community Manager

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