Penis Festival Pics

[simonknutson]

I've lived in Japan for a few years now and always found Japanese people to be very reserved and quite shy. Imagine then my shock when I went to a 'penis festival' and saw middle-aged and elderly ladies carrying wooden phalluses and penis posters. To top it all off the festival ended with a HUGE wooden phallus being paraded down the street! Truly bizarre!!

Click below to view the slideshow (give it a minute to load up before trying to watch)

Simon

http://www.megandsimon.co.uk/Penis%2...sslideshow.htm

[mommy_culleton]

You've GOT to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigdawg]

He's not kidding! I've seen it on national Geographic Explorer once in the late 70's or early 80's.


Dawg

[simonknutson]

Indeed, I'm not kidding!! The festival is actually a fertility festival held annually toask the gods to make the process of childbirth as easy as possible, but you can visit fertility shrinesthroughout the year. There are fertility shrines featuring the male and female anatomy!

At one of the shrines I saw, women were writing wishes on pieces of paper and then stuffing them into small cracks and openings (use your imagination!) on a 20ft long wooden phallus! Looked very painful to me.

[Melanie32424]

OMG!!! It's amazing how different cultures can be, isn't it?

Too funny!

[golovemd]

Melanie32424 wrote:

OMG!!! It's amazing how different cultures can be, isn't it?

Too funny!

Indeed. I am sure there are cultures that look at american kids dressing up and going door to door getting free candy as being a bit odd.

[simonknutson]

I forgot I had these shots so they are not in the slideshow. First is the fertility shrine....

[simonknutson]

and this is......well use your imagination!

[Melanie32424]

golovemd wrote:

Melanie32424 wrote:

Indeed. I am sure there are cultures that look at american kids dressing up and going door to door getting free candy as being a bit odd.

Hi, golovemd: The key word is here "different," not "odd." I do agree with you that American kids going door to door getting free candy is a bit "odd," however! I did it myself as a kid (but didn't think it "odd" at that time). The practice surely must look pretty goofy to folks elsewhere.

[golovemd]

Melanie32424 wrote:

Hi, golovemd: The key word is here "different," not "odd." I do agree with you that American kids going door to door getting free candy is a bit "odd," however! I did it myself as a kid (but didn't think it "odd" at that time). The practice surely must look pretty goofy to folks elsewhere.

I agree 100%. My point was that what we do in our culture that is just a little different from someone elses may seem odd to them, but perfectly normal to us, and vice versa.