Kanamara Matsuri: Steel Phallus Festival

THE FESTIVAL OF STEEL PHALLUS

      Despite of the weather forecast, morning was really sunny and warm, however quite windy. 

     A special event was happening today in our prefecture (Kswasaki-shi): Kanamara Matsuri - festival of steel phallus. 

     We agreed to meet up with CEMS people and head there around 11. The place wasn't that far away, but by metro we had to go a long way. 

      When we got to the place, the area was crowded. So far I haven't seen such a large concentration of non-Japanese people in Japan. Many people had large cameras hunting for good photos. 

     The main celebrations was in a small square near a temple. It was really crowded. The most popular attractions there were 2 large wooden phalluses with which everyone was taking pictures, some strange looking man, another man dressed up as a phallus. People were eating, or to be more precise licking or sucking lollipops shaped as phalluses and virginas (mostly phalluses), of different colors and sizes. Some people had branded mask ( nose shaped as a phallus), t-shirts etc. 

     Little children were walking with their parents sucking on those lollies. Something you can probably see only in Japan. It was really crowded, but really clean at the same time. In Europe or Russia so much trash is left on the ground during the celebrations. Here when someone saw a can or something else, they would pick it up and bring to a trash can. 

     The main event of the day was a parade. Japanese people in traditional costumes carrying Phalluses of different sizes and colors, yelling loudly "big phallus". Here are the videos, you can see for yourself. 

Videos

     Another fun participant of the event was a policeman dressed as a character of some famous Anime (I don't watch those, so can't tell which one). He or she, don't know, was wearing that girly outfit running around regulating traffic and the crowd (and sometimes stopping to take a picture with someone). I am not sure, if it was a real policeman or just an entertainer, but he seemed to have his duties and was accomplishing them well. 

Police

JAPANESE METRO

    I have already written, that Japanese metro in expensive. But not only that. We got in a station today intending to go back to our dorm. But then we figured it was only two stations away, we should walk. Tryed to go out - but the system wouldn't let us. So if you comein metro getting out at the same stop will be a complex process. So we travelled 1 station and paid a euro for that. Good one.