Kawasaki Fertility Festival

Gay-sha.

This festival, they say, has been hi-jacked by the tourists and the transvestites.  I figure it's a big ol' party, regardless!

Kawasaki is just south of Tokyo.  This is right out of the train station.  If you look closely amongst the pink, you'll see the 'big pink.'

Yep, this is the one they parade around!  I still want to know who the model for this was!

Tim decided to stay home.  We'd talked about whether we should take William with, or not.  We decided we would explain to him, and it would be okay.  Then I started to think about our 'information disseminator son.'  He'd likely explain to his friends, and that would be awkward at the principal's office at school.  I had arranged for a babysitter.  Then, Tim decided to stay home.

This one is steel (you can see the pink one in the distance.  The legend goes that a demon got inside a woman, and it's teeth would bite anything that went inside her.  So the priests made a steel phalus to defeat the demon.  

The shrine became popular with the prostitutes in the area who prayed to this deity to ward off VD.  I am told there are still plenty of prostitutes in the Kawasaki area.

 

These are happy coats.  I want one!  It's best if everyone you know has one!  :)

Yep, more lollipops.

Equal opportunity, and better colored than the Nagoya ones. 

I wanted to go to both festivals to see what I thought.  Nagoya is a long ride, but it is more traditional and respectful.  This is crowded, and a big party.  But, it's close, and you get to see the Japanese being a little looser than normal.

I love the clown guys at these parades.

The ceremonial priest guy.

Okay, I just deleted a picture.  But there is a young girl eating a lollipop!  I am a bit amazed and shocked, so I snapped a pic.  It just looks so wrong!

Okay, maybe I don't want THIS happy coat!

The banners... do they bend to the left (Clinton joke).

Where does one wear this T-shirt after today?

There was crab inside these balls.  There's a joke in there...

Again, I see plaids mixed in with the kimono fabrics.  Scottish Japanese?

This guy game prepared to party.

So did these folks.

The line was long for these balls.

The cherry trees are just beginning to blossom.

The steel phallus as it enters the shrine area.

And the trannies on the corner.  I posed with them, too!