Happy Honen Matsuri!!!!

[Sana Chan]

Have I ever told you guys how much I love Japanese culture? Yeah its a day early but I gotta tell you before hand so we can get our big wooden penises out and go parading down the street!! :cheerleader:

Website with pictures

Honen Matsuri (Japanese for Harvest Festival) is a fertility festival celebrated every year on March 15 in Japan. The most well-known of these festivals takes place in the town of Komaki, just north of Nagoya City. Honen means rich harvest in Japanese, while a matsuri is a festival or holiday. The Honen festival and ceremony celebrate the blessings of a bountiful harvest and all manner of prosperity and fertility.

The festival's main features of interest are Shinto priests playing musical instruments, a parade of ceremonially-garbed participants, all-you-can-drink sake, and a 280 kg (620 pound), 2.5 meter (96 inch)-long wooden phallus. The wooden phallus is carried from a shrine called Shinmei Sha on a large hill, to another shrine called Tagata Jinja.

The festival starts with celebration and preparation at 10am at Tagata Jinja, where all sorts of foods and souvenirs (mostly phallus-shaped or related) are sold. Sake is also passed out freely from large wooden barrels. At about 2pm everyone gathers at Shinmei Sha for the start of the procession. Shinto priests say prayers and make blessings on the participants and mikoshi which are to be carried along the parade route, as well as the large wooden phallus.

When the procession makes its way down to Tagata Jinja the phallus in its mikoshi is spun furiously before it is set down and more prayers are said. Everyone then gathers in the square outside Tagata Jinja and wait for the mochi nage, at which time the crowd is showered with small rice cakes which are thrown down by the officiates from raised platforms. The festival concludes at about 4:30pm.

[spaniel77]

Hey Sanachan,

I was there today. Despite the gray weather, it was a great turnout. Like you said, there were many foreigners, some quite embarassing after they've downed a few sakes. And there were many penises too.hahaha

It was a great day. The mochi throwing was so dangerous yet exhilirating. I have a gay story about that...

'Til next year.

Spaniel77

[A_DeAngelo]

what a fun way to spend a day!

now Sana, since your the expert on japanese culture is it true that Japan leads the world in condom use and like cosmetics, they're sold door to door, by women?

[Sana Chan]

Not sure about that. I just wana fuck their men ^_^

But I would love to go to some of their festivals!! You were so lucky Spaniel! But I think I'm gonna wait on my visit until I at least have the language down a bit.

I love the Sakura Tree Festival and the Spring Festival that welcomes in the new season. I forget what its called at the moment. There is also a fesitval every year celebrating all the men that are turning 21 that year!