This photo was taken just before midnight, right before the main event. Before they get to this point they run around the temple grounds and through a pool of water.
Then at midnight they turn off all the lights and they drop down a phallic symbol into the crowd and they all scramble to get the prize and gain good luck for the coming year.
If anyone is bored this coming weekend you might want to check it out, with the weather being so nice recently you probably won't freeze your butt off.
On a side note, it is interesting that in many festivals in Japan the standard attire often includes the fundoshi or in this case just the fundoshi. Once a Japanese pastor said to me that maybe when Japanese men were baptized they should wear a fundoshi. Interesting thought that I don't think anyone has ever followed through with given how much Japanese Christians often tend to throw out most things that would have any similarities to anything of traditional Japanese culture.
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