More and more men pack in to the temple until it resembles a scene from Dante’s Inferno. At 10PM a monk throws two sacred sticks into the writhing mass. Those who can grab a stick and pass it to another monk outside the temple will have a year’s worth of happiness.
Published on February 24, 2011


Wow! Amazing iamage. I wonder from where you could take such a wonderful photo.
You may already know about Mr. Yoshio Wada who is following hadaka matsuri in Japan.
http://wadaphoto.jp/funtouki.htm
That looks like my worst nightmare to be crowded in with so many people and not being able to get out. However it is a brilliant photo – I like your position above the masses.
I noticed a few gaijin amongst the Japanese men? Are they just tourists joining in the fun?
How ‘hadaka’ are we talking exactly? Great photos Chris.
Not completely hadaka (naked)
Everyone is wearing a fundoshi, but it’s still less than you would expect for a cold night in February.