Before I begin, I must give caution. This post might be considered rated R by many. Proceed reading at your own risk… it is not for the easily offended.
Last year after we found out we were officially moving to Japan, one of our neighbors in Great Lakes gave me very important advice. He told me to make sure I attend the Fertility Festival. Seriously!?! There is such a thing as a Fertility Festival?
Oh, yes, there is indeed. It is held on March 15th every year in Komaki, a small town north of Nagoya. The festival is known as the “Honen-sai” has been celebrated for more than 1500 years and is a festival for fertility and good harvest. Unfortunately, this year March 15th fell on a weekday and Dave wasn’t able to join me on the ITT tour. Fortunately, I could convince Dina to go with me! The drive to Nagoya was about 4 hours on the bus – plus a couple rest stops.
The celebration takes place at the Tagata Shrine. At the shrine are a variety of statues allowing couples to pray for a child, singles to pray for love, and farmers to pray for a good harvest.
Our tour guide escorted us to the shrine and after that we had free time to bang the bell cock, rub the lucky balls, and take pictures with the large wooden penis.
“For whom does the cock toll? It tolls for thee.”
The sacred balls require a good rub. We were instructed to rub the right ball for luck and the left ball for children AND good sexual relations.
The Festival didn’t lack in the bizarre food category. Obviously, there was a lot of octoPUS, crab, meat on a stick and sausage. So much sausage.
Oh and if that wasn’t strange enough – the number of banana cocks were ri-DIC-ulous. I’m not sure I can ever look at a mini Ritz cracker the same.
The main focus of the festival is the wooden phallus that is brought down the hill from the Kumano-sha Shrine via a parade to replace the existing phallus. Here is the phallus from 2016. Once it is enshrined, it is sacred and can’t be touched. The long line is to rub the balls and ring the dick bell and of course make your wish.
Around the shrine are several penis and vagina resembling rocks.
The wooden phallus weighs approximately 620lbs. The phallus gets bigger every year! It is carved from a single cedar tree. I think we can all agree, that’s a lot of wood! Here is the 2017 lucky phallus.
Before the ceremony, photographs and touching of the 2017 phallus were permitted and encouraged. I can only imagine how many pictures are now on the Internet of Dina and me posing with the massive Japanese dick in a box. Seriously, the paparazzi was ready to get some…pictures.
We also had the opportunity to have our pictures taken with the God Tagata. It was when I approached him I realized I don’t like masks. My expression says it all.
Shortly after this, the parade began. The distance between the two shrines took about 10 minutes to walk normally. For the parade, it took over 90 minutes. Partly because the Mikoshi are very heavy and because there is a lot of free Sake to be drank and also because Tagata is wearing silly shoes for a parade!
Did I mention the steps, Sake and shoes?!?
As the parade progresses, it restructures. The “head” priest leads the way. In front of him is an elder who spreads salt on the road to purify the path.
Eventually, the parade makes it to the shrine of the old statue (2016). It replaces the new one, the old one is removed and purchased by private buyers.
I almost forgot about the virgins carrying penis. Which the crowd was encouraged to touch!!
Just when you thought it was over, it’s time to go again. Get ready to catch mochi! Large, hard flying mochi.
While we were waiting to watch and experience the situation, Dina made a friend who wanted to catch mochi together. He was talking into his phone trying so hard to communicate with us.
He told us he was a veteran at catching mochi and told us to follow him and get closer to the stage. Very soon, mochi was flying.
And shockingly, me – who can’t catch a cold, actually caught a mochi. Maybe it more or less landed on me. And then our new friend gave me another. I gave them both to a friend on the tour who is trying to get preggers.
Talk about an “only in Japan experience.” I hope I exposed you to the fully Monty. Plan your trip accordingly if you want to experience this next year!!