0159 Mudslinging Festival

For some Japanese, getting naked in public with a few hundred of their closest friends is a fantastic way to spend a cold winter day. Dozens of midwinter “hadaka matsuri” – or “naked festivals” – take place annually. One such example is Chiba prefecture’s Mud Festival held each February. Scores of men clad in nothing more than a narrow loincloth gather at Musubi shrine to celebrate the New Year by getting down and dirty. At a signal, the guys jump into a giant mud pit for some good natured roughhousing. But this isn’t your ordinary run of the mill mudwrestling. No. It’s actually a Shinto ritual that gives guys a chance to play in the dirt to guarantee a good harvest and plenty of good luck. And maybe even get filthy… rich while they’re at it. #ceas #japan #varner