Tag > tradition

Last Sunday, I went to Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki city in Kanagawa Prefecture, neighboring prefecture to Tokyo. Over there held annual festival named Kanamara-Matsuri. I saw very surprising scenes. The giant symbols of male genitals are exhibited. They are the things worshiped for centuries at the shrine. The festival was to pray for the health of people, especially to avoid sexual transmitted diseases. The symbols were to be carried outside the shrine and to be exhibited on streets in the town. They are portable shrine, so called Mikoshi. Not just Mikoshi,...

Last Sunday, I went to the Enoshima Island to participate in the Tenou Festival of the island's shrine. It is located 1 hour and half train ride from Tokyo.   It is to commemorate the event occurred in 19th century, which local fishermen transported cast-away treasure of the shrine across the sea.   So in the festival, the decorated box of the below photo,...