Various strange festivals in Japan that even Japanese people cannot understand

There are various traditional festivals throughout Japan that have been handed down from generation to generation.

Among them, we have selected festivals that are particularly strange and incomprehensible even to us Japanese.

Please check out the videos of these festivals with their strange appearances, strange dances and music, and strange shouts.

The ranking is based on our own judgment as a Japanese couple. Please consider it as our recommendation order.

CONTENTS

1, Kokusekiji-Sominsai

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Formal name : 黒石寺蘇民祭（KOKUSEKIJI SOMINSAI）
Date held : Late January
Venue：G oogle map
Inquiries : Kuroishiji Temple

The “Kokuseki Sominsai” is a naked festival held in the middle of winter when it is very cold.

There are many festivals called “naked festivals” throughout Japan, and all of them are strange, but the scale of the Kokuseki Sominsai is overwhelming.

The sight of hundreds of nearly naked men (wearing only traditional underwear called “fundoshi”) fighting for sacred bags
in the temple grounds is bizarre and fantastic.

The winner of the battle is guaranteed health and prosperity for the coming year, and the year’s harvest is determined by which direction he or she heads in triumph, east or west.

The festival is quite old and has been held annually for more than 1,000 years.

2, Uzumasa-no-Ushimatsuri

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Formal name : 太秦の牛祭り（UZUMASA NO USHIMATSURI）
Date held : Oct. 10
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Kyoto Sightseeing Official Site

Uzumasa-no-Ushioimatsuri is a Shinto ritual at Kyoto’s oldest temple, Koryu-ji.

Koryu-ji Temple is famous for housing the national treasure, the Maitreya Bosatsu (Maitreya Bodhisattva) half-lotus statue.

The origin of the Cow Festival is unknown. It is a festival with many mysteries that have yet to be solved.

It is an old-fashioned ritual, fantastic but quite strange.

3, Nishimonai-Bonodori

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Formal name : 西馬音内盆踊り（NISHIMONAI BONODORI）
Date held : August 16-18
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Town Ugo

Nishimonouchi Bon Odori is a Bon Odori dance in which people dance with their faces hidden.

To begin with, Bon Odori is an event held during the Bon Festival in summer in Japan to entertain the spirits of ancestors who have been welcomed, spend time with them, and send them off. It is one of the most popular summer festivals in Japan and is held throughout the country.

The most famous Bon dance is the “Awaodori” of Tokushima, Shikoku, where a large number of people dance and march in a lively manner. Most Bon dances are fun and lively, but “Nishimonai Bon Odori” is quite different.

It is also called “Ghost Dance” because the dancers, their faces hidden by hats and hoods, dance around a bonfire like ghosts.

4, Namahage-Sedo-Matsuri

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Formal name : なまはげ柴灯まつり（NAMAHAGE SEDO MATSURI）
Date held : Mid Feb.
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Oganavi.com

The Namahage Sedo Festival is a fusion of the traditional custom of Namahage in Oga, Akita, in the Tohoku region of Japan, and a ritual that has been practiced at a local shrine for more than 900 years.

To begin with, “Namahage” is a god who comes at the turning point of the year to warn people against idleness and bring good health, a bountiful harvest of rice fields, mountains, and the sea. In the Oga region of Akita Prefecture, there is a unique custom in which on New Year’s Eve, young men from each community dress up as Namahage and go around the houses of the community.

Namahage is a god, but he looks like a demon. It is a terror for children.

The highlight of the festival is the heroic and powerful Namahage dance performed under the fire of lanterns in the precincts of a shrine in bitterly cold Akita. It is an out-of-this-world moment.

5, Oniyo

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Formal name : 鬼夜（ONIYO）
Date held : Jan. 7
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Daizenji_tamataregu

For more information about ONIYO, one of the largest fire festivals in Japan, please see this article I wrote earlier.

6, Yonekawa-no-Mizukaburi

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Formal name : 米川の水かぶり（YONEKAWA NO MIZUKABURI）
Date held : Jan. 7
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Daizenji_tamataregu

Yonekawa Mizukaburi is a traditional event in Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region to pray for protection against fire.

It is performed only in some districts of Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture.

On a fixed day in early February each year, people visit shrines, temples, and other places in the district while sprinkling water on houses and their roofs along the streets.

The appearance of the pilgrims is strange and unique. They wrap their bodies in straw straw straw straw straw hats and headdresses, and ink is applied to their faces.

7, Menkakegyoretsu

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Formal name : 面掛行列（MENKAKE GYORETSU）
Date held : Sept. 18.
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Kamakura City Tourist Association

The Mengake procession is a Shinto ritual held at a shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Ten menkeshu wearing strange masks parade through the shrine with the procession of the Shinto priests.

This unique festival, which has continued since the Edo period, is also known as the “Haramitto Procession. Haramitto” means a pregnant woman.

The 10 men are as follows: No.1, an old man. The second is an ogre. No. 3, the deformed one. No. 4, a long nose. No. 5, a raven-tengu. No. 6, an old man. No. 7, the fire-breathing man. No. 8, Fukurokuju, No. 9, Okame (pregnant woman) and Onna (midwife).

All of them wearing masks are men.

8, Akutai-Matsuri

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Formal name : 悪態まつり（AKUTAI MATSURI）
Date held : Mid-December
Venue：Google map
Inquiries : Kasama Tourism Association

Akutai-Matsuri has various origins.

The most popular theory is that it is an event with the Chinese character “悪退,” meaning to repel evil spirits and plague, or to drive out evil.

However, it is represented by the Chinese character “悪態,” which means grumbling, evil speaking, or foul language.

Akutai-Matsuri is held at a shrine on Mt. Atago in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Thirteen tengu (goblins) climb from the base of the mountain to the Atago Shrine at the top, making offerings at 16 shrines along the way. The tengu are silent throughout the climb, but the participants behind them shout abuse at the tengu.

The offerings are believed to bring good luck, and worshippers compete with each other to get the best offerings.

Akutai-Matsuri has become very famous today as an event where people use swearing to release their daily frustrations, but it is originally a Shinto ritual and festival at a shrine.

Postscript

It is difficult to convey the atmosphere and world view of the festival through words and images, so please come to Japan and experience it live. You will feel as if time has stopped or you are in another world.

In addition to the strange festivals introduced here, there are many more mysterious festivals in Japan.

I will introduce them in another article in the future.

👉Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

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