Documentations

Impressions of the Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) in Chiba, Japan

Once a year at the at the Mimusubi Shrine in Yotsukaido, Chiba Prefecture a Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) takes place.
Young men in loincloths step into a muddy rice paddy and mark babies with mud to ask the gods for a rich rice harvest. Later they jostle each other and mark just about everyone of the spectators, which is considered good luck. This is not the only Hadaka Matsuri in Japan, there are numerous of these festivals throughout the country from early and chilly January until late into the year. Probably because it's so much fun.