April 24, 201313 yr I posted about this before, but here it is in the calendar again. I have visited the very spot shown in the video, but alas not during this festival! Kanamara Festival aka the Penis Festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bMHd3X6YzAw by Rebekah Sager On the first Sunday of April in Kawasaki City, Japan, 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 fest draws huge throbbing crowds from around the world. Visited by foreigners, especially Europeans and Americans, the unique event, has a noticeably global atmosphere. Throw in wall-to-wall penises and you get chaos. 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. Lined up next to it were the wooden “Big Mikoshi” and “Kanamara Boat Mikoshi” made of iron also in the shape of a phallus. Stands and tables peddling a variety of penis themed goods abound: T-shirts, candy, figures, towels, candles and more all bearing the image of sex organs. The 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. http://firsttoknow.com/kanamara-festival-aka-the-penis-festival/
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