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Okayama naked man festival
A naked festival? In winter? Surely not!
Winter sees some of Japan's most eccentric festivals, and Okayama's Naked Festival is probably the most famous. One night in mid winter, hundreds of men dressed only in a loincloth gather at the local temple and fight to catch one of several lucky sticks thrown by the temple priests. This amazing spectacle of course has historical roots, and is thought to have started when those who had collected charms from the temple had a run of good luck, and word quickly spread, hugely increasing the number of visitors keen for some of the good fortune to rub off on them.
This festival is a unique chance to see the Japanese at their least inhibited, and as well as the main event there are plenty of other festivities and sideshows to enjoy.
When to go: The festival takes place on the third Saturday in February at Sadai-ji Temple.
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