Nagoya Fertility Festival

I decided to go to the Nagoya Fertility Festival.  This means 5 hours each way of riding a bus.  I was glad I did it.  The procession is very respectful.  However, it was a long ride.

I just love the architecture of some of the shrines here.  

All shrines have places to get good luck amulets or omamori, and wooden wishes you can hang up.

The official shoes are so cool!

I am unsure what the ritual was, but this is the female shrine in Nagoya.

And you can write your wishes and hang them up.  I'm thinking 'I wish for a boob job' isn't one of them, but you never know!

Another shrine building on the same property.

The jugs of sake as offerings.

This is the female stone.  There was a long line to go see it.  I kept joking with the other Americans, "I am going to SEE this.  I've never seen one up close before!"

This Japanese fellow said something to me, and I said, "Watashi no more chisai desu."  He died laughing, and ran and told his friends what I said.

Plum orchard above.

Tim says I take too many flower pictures.

He's right.

Looking down onto the shrine grounds.

Then, we were on to the major festivities at the Tagata Shrine.

If the marshmallows are testicles, and the banana is the penis... are the sprinkles HAIR?!?

Yes, I bought some of these!

From this guy, who is trying to look unphased.

There were the usual food stands to choose from.

Um... M&Ms?  Tasty Japanese kid treats, and marshmallows?  Aren't they awfully small?  Just saying.

This is just wrong.

A plaid kimono.  Cool!

For peace in the world.  Those French.  I'm sure he meant, "piece."  :)

I loved this one.  The koi are great.  The bottom left is the name of the shrine, the writing means, "You must work hard for good luck."

The partition fence.

Put the money in the slot...  and rub the balls.  Finally some big ones!

Even the bell is penis shaped.

Dokey!

They had katana cutting bamboo mats demonstrations.  Pretty impressive how cleanly and quickly they sliced.

I believe these are the virgins being consecrated at the Tagata Jinja.

There weren't large crowds, but the police were there in force.

So were the TV stations.

This is at the Shinmei shrine, where the Ohawasegata (phallus-shaped wooden sculpture) normally resides.

Um, I call TOPS!  Being a shooter gaffer/assistant takes dedication!

The bamboo has polka dot fabric on it.  It goes in the parade, and then is torn apart by everyone trying to get one.

The ceremony is beginning.  First, the priests,

then the officials,

and this guy welcomed them all in, including the virgins.

Made of Hinoki (Japanese cypress), it is 60 c.m across, and 2.5 m wide.  Who is the model for this?

Waiting for the parade to start.

These guys were daruma dolls and entertaining the kindergarten who brought all their kids to the parade.

An oni (demon ogre).

Something's coming...

It is huge, and they carry it on their shoulders.

Um, I don't think they're virgins anymore.

There were 2 other small mikoshi being carried.  One had a girl doll, the other a boy doll.

And this guy looks like Quasimoto only because he's padded his shoulders.  It is heavy, and they'll have bruises in the morning.

The other mikoshi (I think this was the boy one).

Dried fish was handed out, as was sake.

They had different teams who traded out.  Although it was less than a kilometer long of a route, it was heavy.  This was the blue team.

When the penis gets to Tagata Jinja, it is to pray for world peace, the growth of all things (snicker), and a good harvest.

It was a crowd, but much less than if it were in Tokyo.

It is now at Tagata shrine, and heading in.

One Japanese guy told me, "Boy gets to visit girl once a year."

Saw this guy, and he cracked me up.  He was so campy with his mushroom shirt, traditional hat, etc.

Another guy motioned me over, and right at the moment the picture clicked, the guy whipped out his... er...  I think it was made of wood...  thingee.   TOO FUNNY!

And here's a clearer shot of the candy.  Equal opportunity!