On the surface, Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri may seem ridiculous, but back in the 1970s, this Shinto celebration began as a serious religious event.
Where in the world are you most likely to find giant phallic floats being paraded loudly down the street while onlookers happily hold phallus-shaped lollypops and shop for themed merchandise? Japan, of course! Every April, the Kanamara Matsuri—otherwise known as the “penis festival”—takes place at Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki City, which is located between Tokyo and Yokohama. “Why?” is the question on a first-time festivalgoer’s mind as they witness three giant floating phalluses—one long and black, one short and wooden, and one enormous and bright pink—being carried through the Kawasaki streets past stalls full of phallic-shaped goods like candy, chopstick holders, and stationery.
The answer is that although Kanayama Shrine was founded to enshrine the god of blacksmiths, prostitutes who worked in the lodges around Kawasaki-juku Station during the Edo Period (1603–1868) came to offer prayers at the shrine to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases. Over time, it also became the place where people came to pray for fertility, good sexual health, and safe childbirth. These were the roots of what eventually became the Kanamara Matsuri. This springtime festival happens on the first Sunday of April, a time of new beginnings when the weather is warming and new life is blossoming.
The festival was once much smaller and quieter—celebrated with only a handful of people at the shrine at midnight. Today, crowds of between 30,000 and 50,000 swarm the event—which begins in the morning and goes all day—with foreign visitors making up a good portion of attendees. Two extra plusses of the event are that it supports LGBTQ rights, and the money raised during the event goes toward supporting research into HIV and AIDS.