Just like the “Penis” Festival that takes place near Tokyo every year, this annual celebration at Tagata Shrine in Aichi also promotes a certain phallic object.
It is known as the Hōnensai, or Harvest Festival, in Japanese.
What happens?
Every year, a special statue in the shape of male genitalia is carved from a Japanese cypress tree. It isn’t small at around 2 meters in length and 60 centimeters in girth — it seems to get bigger every year. It is then carried on a mikoshi (portable shrine) by unlucky men aged 42 on a procession towards Tagata Shrine.
Schedule
Held on March 15 every year, the festival commences at 10 a.m. when stalls selling phallus-shaped products open. At around 2 p.m., the procession starts.
How to get there
To get there from Nagoya Station, take the Meitetsu Inuyama Line and change trains at Inuyama Station for the Meitetsu Komaki Line. Get off at Meitetsu Tagata Jinja-mae Station and walk for 5 minutes. The whole journey should take around 50 minutes.
If you’ve had enough of the world celebrating male members, then the Oagata Shrine nearby focuses on women’s fertility.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
