Thousands of tourists and locals fill the streets of Kawasaki to witness the parade of a giant pink phallus at the Shinto Kanamara Matsuri festival dedicated to male genitalia and fertility.
Festival-goers, held every year on the first Sunday in April, suck on penis-shaped lollipops and buy souvenirs like key rings, candles and other trinkets as they worship the male organ as it passes through the streets.
The origin of this Shinto festival takes place in the Edo period, which extends from March 1603 to May 1868. Then, people who practiced the trade of prostitution, prayed to the gods, in the Kanayama temple, to protect themselves. of sexually transmitted diseases.
Over the years, the popularity of the celebration is different but the cult is the same. For this reason, at present, the money collected from sweets and figures goes to research on HIV and other STDs.
