Even in This Situation... Japan's Bizarre 'Naked Festival'

One of Japan's Representative Festivals, the 'Naked Festival,' Held Without Spectators
Organizers Seek Ways to Preserve the Festival's Essence While Following Guidelines

Introducing the naked festival called 'Hadaka Matsuri' Video/Photo source=CNN

[Asia Economy Online Issue Team] Despite the impact of COVID-19, Japan's Okayama 'Naked Festival' was held as planned with a reduced scale.

According to multiple foreign media including CNN on the 23rd (local time), the 'Hadaka Matsuri,' a naked festival, was held without spectators on the 20th at Saidaiji Kannon-in in Higashi Ward, Okayama City.

This event is one of Japan's representative festivals that has continued for 500 years since the Muromachi period, held every year on the third Saturday night of February. Numerous men participating in the festival wear only the traditional Japanese underwear called fundoshi and engage in a physical struggle to seize wooden amulets (hoga). This spectacle has been known as one of the world's most bizarre and unique festivals, attracting coverage from countries such as France, Germany, and Korea.

However, unlike last year when there were 10,000 participants, this year only about 100 young men took part. The amulet contest was replaced with a ceremony praying for the end of COVID-19, world peace, and fertility, and was held privately without spectators.

The organizers stated regarding holding the festival amid the COVID-19 situation, "After consulting with related parties, we concluded that 'now is precisely the time when prayers at Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) are needed.' We sought ways to maintain the essence of the festival while following infection prevention guidelines."

Meanwhile, according to NHK, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases across Japan on the 24th was 921, including 213 in Tokyo. It is the second day in two days that Japan recorded fewer than 1,000 daily confirmed cases, following 740 cases on the 22nd. The Japanese government plans to decide on the 26th whether to lift the state of emergency, which is currently in effect until the 7th of next month in 10 metropolitan areas including the capital region, earlier depending on the regional infection situation.