Japan's Kanamara Festival A.K.A Penis Festival

Hail to the mighty one - The phallic symbol is associated with prayers for good business, health, fertility, childbirth, and marital bliss.

Celebrated in Kawasaki City at the Kanayama Shrine, Japan’s Kanamara festival is a celebration about penis and fertility. Kanamara festival is an annual tradition dating back to 17th century when sex workers are said to have prayed at Kawasaki's Kanayama shrine for protection from sexually transmitted diseases. 

In many parts of the world, penis is still either perceived as taboo or a subject that is hardly taken seriously. But for the Japanese who celebrate Kanamara festival, it is more than just a spectacle; it is a symbolic part of their tradition and history.

In the present festivals, the phallic symbol is associated with prayers for good business, health, fertility, childbirth, and marital bliss.



If you're planning to witness how people celebrate a penis festival without malice(which I would like to believe), better plan your trip to Kawasaki because Kanamara festival is held ONLY during the first Sunday of April.