the naked man festival!

okayama is home to one of the strangest festivals in japan, the hadaka matsuri! thousands of men from all over the country come to compete for fame and glory in nothing but their skin! how could i miss this!

when lola and i arrived at the saidaiji train station (beer in hand) we were greeted by a bronze statue commemorating the event. the upper-halves of several chiseled men erupting from a crowd - the highest one, held up by a comrade, is making a fingertip catch for the win - greatness all over his face! on this night, lanterns hang all around them and thousands of candles twinkle below, possibly commemorating those lives lost in the struggle throughout the years.

we were picked up by a student and a friend of ours, susumu the dentist, and wisked off to his beautiful home in his new RANGE ROVER!! (this car looks about 3 times bigger in japan than it does in the states - it was ludicrous). we enjoyed food and drinks at his place and schmoozed with friends. after a few hours, we all piled into cars and headed back into town! parking was a puddle after 2 straight days of rain and we joined the crowd on our way to the temple - and what a crowd!

walking through town was like edging through a carnival midway! there were lanterns and music, all the sizzling and smells of street vended delicacies. and then there were the naked men! we had to make way for rows of them jogging past. and, well, the truth is they weren't completely naked - they were each wearing a single white cloth wrapped and tied to cover only the most essentials (think sumo diaper).

they've come to march through the streets and drink mass quantities before congregating in a heap on the front steps of saidaiji temple were they will push and shout and squirm to get good position. at midnight all hell breaks lose!

someone, some lucky monk, maybe, throws a single baton into the man mass at exactly 12:00 AM and the crowd is left to it's own devices in deciding who will take the baton across town to the judges, tv cameras, and cash prize. there's a fair amount of naked violence involved in the struggle. most men have formed alliances with others from their local temple or university. some have formed huge teams and developed strategies!

were weren't close enough to see individual punches being thrown, but we could see the heaving waves of flailing men as the baton made its way down the steps and out of the temple. it was a little anticlimactic - like watching the start of a race - but it was worth seeing.