Went to an interesting festival right outside of Tokyo in Kawasaki. It was about 40 or so minutes away from where I live and there is a yearly festival devoted to fertility held at the local kanayama shrine. I'm not actually sure how we found out about it but this festival is particularly popular with the foreigner crowd. As soon as you step off the train you know you're in the right place because of the heaps and heaps of 'gaijin', or foreigners.
There were quite a few men dressed in drag at this festival. Not sure if you can clearly tell who is in drag and who is not in this photo though..
Daruma dolls! There were stalls and stalls worth of every sized daruma you could ever image. In case you don't know what it is, it's a traditional doll that symbolizes good luck. Usually you buy one every year at your local temple and make a wish or goal while drawing in one of the eyes. Later on when your wish or goal comes true you draw in the other eye so that both eyes are 'open'. And then when the year is up there is a big ceremony where you return the daruma to the temple you bought it from and the daruma dolls are burned.
Poster advertising the fertility festival!
There were many stalls and vendors set up selling all sorts of goodies, mostly typical festival foods but there were also many phallic objects - mostly candy. This little old woman is selling penis shaped lollipops.
These fellas were making normal shaped candy but they were chopping the candy in such a nice rhythm that it sounded very much like drums.
The entrance gates to the temple
We were wondering why the fertility festival wasn't focused more around the womb but we guessed womb shaped candy wouldn't sell as well.
This was a small statue in front of the temple which people were cleaning before entering.
I tried to take some sneaky pictures of the inside of the temple - the monks (in green) were following the chants of the head monk who sat before a fire. It was beautiful inside the temple!
Here is a better picture of the main monk sat before the fire
More traditional festival foods - fruit shaped candy on a stick!
Toy Vendor
Takoyaki (fried octopus) is a traditional festival food but for the sake of the fertility festival they were renamed.
A few more men in drag sitting about having a picnic.
The main event of the day! We missed the parade by the time we got there but at least everything was still on display.
A calmer part of the shrine.. it was a nice area so it's kind of unfortunate that I will forever remember it as the place that had the penis festival.
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