"Japanese Samui OK!!" (岡山の西大寺裸祭り)

I have no idea who came up with the crazy notion that it doesnt snow in Wakayama, but who ever it was wasn't paying much attention. It does not usually stick or accumulate to much, but it snows frequently. We are now nearing the end of Februray and it is not a bit warmer, in fact, we had the coldest day of the year just a few days ago. Unlike North Carolina's up and down all over the place weather, Wakayama is consistently cold, consistently un-insulated, and yes, consistently unheated. Despite my urge to hibernate in front of my very small, and relativley unaffective heater, Tina, Kate, and I ventued to 岡山 (Okayama) prefecture in Western Japan, for one of the strangest traditional festivals the country has to offer.

The 西大寺裸祭り (Saidaiji Hadaka Matsuri or Naked Man Festival) is a bit a bit like the polar bear club with some Japanese flare. Thousands of men gather wearing only ふんどし（fundoshi traditional loincloths) to run around the cold for hours to compete for small wooden sticks which will grant them luck in the coming year. Many of the men strip down to their fundoshi as early as 8 PM, 4 hours before the sticks will be dropped. Groups of friends, coworkers, and the most dreaded of all, yakuza (the Japanese mafia) form teams of men who run through the shrine grounds, emersing themselves in cold water repeatedly, trying to hype themselves up for the upcoming event.
One team of men running through the streets prior to the festival.

The men were starting to gather at this point, but man many more came later.
By 11 PM most of the participants have gathered in the shrine and are crowding in for the best possible chance for the sticks. Before the event kicks off, the paramedics have already run in 3 or 4 times to grab men who have fallen in the crowd or over already exerted themselves. We watched from far away as the crowd fell over in massive waves down the steep wooden steps. It is no wonder the paramedics keep such a close eye. Men are trying to climb the shrine walls, trying anything to ghet the best shot for the sticks. You can see steam rising off the group and they churn in a human whirlpool long before the competition begins. At 12PM the sticks are dropped from the upper floor of the shrine, and the lights are turned off, and the crowds scramble to find the sticks. Within a minute the lights are turned on, and the struggle for the sticks begin. The lucky men who do manage to catch the sticks must make it out of the shrine area with the sticks in order to win. The truth is, there are so many men, no one really knows who has the sticks, or who wins in the end. The event itself if the entertainment, not the winners. How these guys survived the cold I have absolultley no idea. I had many layers, and heating patches on, and was still shivering uncontrollablly by the end of the event.
You can see the steam rise off the crowd as they reach for the sticks.