Japan is on it's way to becoming an "endangered species" ... me thinks.

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https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_ ... ival-ends/

1,000-Year-Old ‘Naked Men’ Festival Held for the Last Time

The aging community in Oshu can no longer cope with the demands of such a big event

by MATTHEW HERNON
February 19, 2024

On Saturday, huge numbers took part in Kokuseki Temple’s famous “Naked Men” festival for the last time. First held more than 1,000 years ago, the annual tradition in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, officially called Sominsai, will no longer take place after this year as the aging community can no longer cope with the demands of such a big event. “You can see what happened today,” said Daigo Fujinami, a resident monk of the temple. “So many people are here, and it’s all exciting. But behind the scenes, there are many rituals and so much work to be done.”

A Bizzarre Tradition

Known as one of the three most bizarre festivals in Japan, the Naked Men event in Iwate was traditionally held from the seventh night of the Lunar New Year to the following morning. After the coronavirus pandemic, however, it was shortened, ending before midnight. Participants, carrying lanterns while dressed in mawashi (white fundoshi loincloths) — so not technically naked — first purified themselves in the nearby river. After praying for a fruitful harvest, they then competed for a hemp sominbukuro lucky bag with charms inside. They also chanted jasso joyasa, meaning “evil, be gone.”