Saidaiji Eyo (“Naked Festival”)

The Saidaiji Eyo, popularly known as the Hadaka Matsuri or “Naked Festival,” is a historic ritual held annually on the third Saturday of February at Saidaiji Kannon-in Temple in Okayama. With a lineage spanning over 500 years, the event involves approximately 10,000 male participants clad only in fundoshi (traditional loincloths) competing for a pair of sacred wooden sticks called shingi. The festival was designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2016 and remains one of Japan’s most physically intense traditional celebrations.

The main event begins in the evening as participants purify themselves in cold water before congregating in the temple’s main hall. At 10:00 PM, all lights are extinguished, and a priest tosses the shingi from a four-meter-high window into the crowd. For the next two hours, the participants grapple to secure the sticks and thrust them into a box of sacred rice, a feat believed to grant a year of exceptional luck. In addition to the primary sticks, around 100 other auspicious bundles are tossed into the crowd to distribute good fortune among the participants.

For spectators, it is highly recommended to purchase tickets for the temporary grandstands well in advance, as ground-level viewing is heavily restricted and often provides limited visibility once the scramble begins. Visitors should dress in heavy winter layers, as temperatures in Okayama drop significantly during the night. The temple is accessible via the JR Ako Line from Okayama Station, which typically runs additional late-night services to accommodate the festival crowds. Foreign visitors wishing to join the event as participants must register through the official portal and are required to wear the traditional fundoshi during the ritual.