Hadaka means “naked”, the name of the festival is “Festival of naked men”.
This festival takes place every year on the second Saturday and Sunday of February, during a very cold season, and occurs in various parts of Japan. Today we are checking out the festival in the Matsudaira neighborhood of Toyota.
In fact, they are not completely naked, they wear a white loincloth called (ofundoshi), in temperatures below zero degrees.
The festival begins on Saturday evening with the opening ceremony at Jinjya Toshogu and purification rituals. After the ritual, people begin drinking sake to purify their bodies, put on their loincloths and go out on the streets shouting WASSHOI WASSHOI.
And then the final ritual begins, where they start throwing ice-cold water on themselves so that their bodies are further purified.
Opening Ceremony at Jinjya Toshogu and Purification Rituals
And on Sunday, a new opening and other rituals are held, with various hourly attractions such as Bounote, Wadaiko (Taiko), Mochi Nagae and others.
Young men and older men wearing the small loincloths [Fundoshi] participate in a competition to see who wins the wooden ball that has been blessed in holy water in the Saturday night purification ritual, bringing good luck to the winner.
The Naked Men’s Festival (Hadaka Matsuri) is very popular in Japan.
Opening Ritual ¨Sunday¨
Mochi │Procession
Wadaiko ¨Taiko Event¨
Naked Men Festival
- Festival: Naked Men’s Festival (Hadaka Matsuri).
- Location: Matsudaira District – Toyota – Aichi.
- Date: Second Saturday and Sunday of the month (Saturday, 5 PM to 8 PM / Sunday, 10 AM to 3 PM).
- Admission: Free.
- Restrooms: Available.
- Parking: Available on Saturday; parking is limited on Sunday, so there will be free buses every 45 minutes, from 9 AM to 4 PM, departing from the cities of Toyota and Okazaki to the festival.
Aichi, Toyota, Matsudairacho, Akabara 13