Go Niche

YOU PROBABLY HAVE no idea what you’ll be doing on the third Saturday in February next year – unless you are a tourist visiting from Okayama, in Japan, in which case, hello and thank you for coming.

Anyone who can afford to return the touristic favour – and hello and congratulations to you, too, sir – could do worse than to do so on said Saturday, when a bizarre event takes place.

The Festival of the Naked Man, or Hadaka Matsuri, sees 10,000 men tog out in barely more than less-than-becoming thongs and run through the freezing night-time streets, shouting “Wasshoi! Wasshoi!” as loudly as their frost-constricted lungs allow. Lest temperatures begin to rise, ample ice-cold water is used to cool things down further still (above).

Gathering at a local temple, the hardy troupe awaits midnight, when all the lights are turned out and a priest throws a pair of giant chopsticks into the crowd. There follows a scrum to catch hold of the sticks and cling to them for dear life.

The person who emerges victorious from the ruck – and it can get very violent – is deemed to have brought himself a year’s worth of luck, not to mention a year’s worth of bruises.

The ritual has been going on for 500 years, and each year draws more and more tourists into the throng. Much safer to witness the melee from a ticketed seat.

See www.city.okayama.okayama.jp/saidaiji/guide/eyo/english/eyo.htm