Japan's Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) involves thousands of nearly-naked men competing to touch a sacred wooden stick, with origins dating back 500 years as a purification ritual.
Sources
- https://travel.rakuten.com/contents/usa/en-us/guide/hadaka-matsuri-guide/ (travel.rakuten.com)
- https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/tokyo/events-festivals/hadaka-matsuri (japan-experience.com)
- https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/2347/ (japan.travel)
- https://en.japantravel.com/okayama/naked-man-festival/1475 (en.japantravel.com)
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asia/thousands-men-battle-lucky-sticks-naked-festival-n310591 (nbcnews.com)
- https://mentalitch.com/hadaka-matsuri-japan-naked-rituals-bizarre-festival/ (mentalitch.com)
- https://www.japan.travel/en/japan-magazine/1901_okayama/ (japan.travel)
- https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/naked-festival-japan-hadaka-matsuri-2021/index.html (cnn.com)