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    Kanamara Matsuri

    One of many Japanese holidays that spring forth from the Shinto religion, Kanamara Matsuri is also probably the most … arousing. Translating as “Festival of the Steel Phallus,” this is a celebration of the male dinger and all of its abilities. The geographical center of this holiday, which happens around the first Sunday in April, is the Kanayama shrine in the Japanese city of Kawasaki. The shrine is famous for being where prostitutes went to pray to be protected against STDs. A local folktale also involves the legend of a young woman who had a demon hiding inside her vagina. A local blacksmith forged an iron dong to break the demon’s teeth and set her free. That tale and others are recreated and celebrated during Kanamara Matsuri.