Japan’s ‘Naked Man Festival’ causes chaos

Japan’s chaotic ‘Naked Man Festival’ this year caused six hospitalizations and knocked three participants completely unconscious.

The ‘Hadaka Matsuri,’ literally meaning ‘Naked Festival,’ happens every year on the third Saturday of February in Okayama City, where thousands of men gather to compete for good luck. Experts say this festival dates back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573), meaning it’s a tradition that’s at least four thousand years old.

Men who wish to take part in the festivities must strip down and wear white ‘mawashi’ (loincloths) and white ‘tabi’ socks, rendering them ‘naked’ in a sense.

The guys gather together in a massive huddle, after which special sticks representing good luck are thrown into the throng.The men push, shove, and wrestle each other to claim ownership of the sticks, which can result in some serious injuries.



Six men injured amid chaos in Japan’s Naked Man Festival

That’s what happened at this year’s Naked Man Festival, where around 10,000 men gathered with hopes of becoming the ‘fuku-otoko’ (lucky man) of the year.

Reports from NHK state that six men were hospitalized as a result of the ensuing chaos, with three of those getting knocked unconscious. Organizers say that these injuries most likely occurred after the lights in the main hall were shut off and the sacred sticks were tossed into the crowd.

As told by the Japan Times, three of these six men were transported to a hospital with “non-life threatening injuries.” It’s still unclear how they got injured, although this isn’t an uncommon occurrence at the Naked Man Festival, where someone almost always gets hurt every year.

In fact, one man died while participating in the festival in 2007, which experts fear may not continue due to Japan’s increasingly aging population.

This is the latest viral news to come out of Japan after a new school opened up in the country where all of its teachers are VTubers.

- Dexerto