'Hadakamatsuri'(裸祭) in Japanese means 'naked festival' in English, but it is not a satisfactory translation . What do you imagine about this 'Hadakamatsuri'?
On the 15th. Feb. 2014, the festival
In 2014, this festival takes place at Kan-non-in（観音院 Okayama, Higashi-ku, Saidaiji) on the 15. February.
At 22:00, lighting of Kan-non-in is turned off, 'Singi'(宝木 treasure wooden bars) is dropped to men. Men who win the battle of 'Singi', it is referred to as 'Fukuotoko'(福男 happy men).
To be able to participate in this festival, it's men who wearing only socks and loincloth. So the festival is called 'Hadaka-matsuri'.
How to come Kan-non-in
'Kan-non-in' is also called 'Saidaiji'(西大寺). 'Saidaiji' is not only a temple name but also a railway station name, a bus terminal name.
JR Ako-line (赤穂線)
From Okayama(岡山) to Saidaiji is available to use JR Ako-line. Okayama, Nishigawara-shujitsu, Takashima, Higashi-okayama, Oodara, next is the station 'Saidaiji'. After arriving Saidaiji, take a walking for 10 min.
