Feb. 15
Saidaiji Eyo
Saidaiji Eyo or Hadaka Matsuri, literally Naked Festival of Saidaiji Temple, the largest in scale of this kind, is held at Saidaiji Temple, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture. Some 9,000 young men wearing only loincloths vigorously purify themselves by pouring cold water over their bodies in the Yoshii River. They gather at the temple from around 5:40 p.m., and then vie with each other to get a pair ofshingi (amulets) which are thrown over the throng in the compound by the priest from 10 p.m. to around midnight. The gallery tickets are sold at the temple on the day of.
Access: (1) The JR Sanyo Shinkansen Line to Okayama Station. From there, 40 minutes temporary buses to Saidaiji temple are available on the day
(2) The JR Ako Line to Saidaiji Station, and then walk 10 minutes
JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE 