21 Feb 2010 - 21 Feb 2010  

As part of the Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival), 3,000 young men dressed only in loincloths first purify themselves in the bitterly cold waters of the Yoshii River, sprint round the temple compound and then fight their way into the temple itself. There they shout 'Washoi, washoi' and a gent in an anorak pours yet more cold water on them. At midnight the lights go out and the temple priests throw a pair of “'Shingi' (sacred wands) into the darkness. The man who gets a stick and can hang on to it (the fighting can be desperate) gets a year's good luck. If you want to join in, you must be male, with no tattoos (they bring everyone bad luck) and you can pick up a 'fundoshi' (loincloth) and 'tabi' (socks) from one of the stalls outside. If you're a girl, your only chance is a vacancy in the all-female 'taiko' (drum) group which accompanies this male frenzy.

Times
2300–2400 men (boys' contests from 1800).