In Japanese, "hadaka matsuri" (裸祭り) literally means "naked festival." One of the most famous naked festivals was recently at Okayama, Japan. It looked like this!

At a naked festival, the male participants aren't actually naked. However, they are typically dressed only in fundoshi (ふんどし), which is a traditional Japanese loincloth, and hope to get lucky—rather, good luck—by catching sacred sticks and other fortune items.

Here are dudes in fundoshi. Note that in Japan, the body isn't seen as something to be ashamed of like in some parts of the world. At hot springs and in public baths, people bathe with strangers as well as friends, family, and even co-workers.

That being said, hadaka matsuri are some of the more unusual festivals in Japan and are held at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. "Truly a bizarre festival," wrote one Japanese Twitter user.

"I went to the hadaka matsuri," added another. "It was creepy. Truly creepy. I'm addicted."

Other Twitter users called the festival "fun"—and said that the participants were "cool."

The Saidai-ji Temple naked man festival began over five hundred years ago and is the country's largest.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, nine thousand people usually participate. If you are keeping count, that's eighteen thousand butt cheeks.

ふんどし９千人が「福男」争奪戦　岡山・西大寺で裸祭り [47News]



岡山）福男６人、喜びかみしめた　西大寺会陽 [Asahi]

Photos: 005GoGoGo, Asahi_NKS20, ohmura_hideaki, umekanyon

GIFs: SankeiNews, SankeiNews, SankeiNews


