Published 2 months ago

Japan's 'Naked Men' Festival Succumbs to Aging of Population

Summary by Ground News

Kokuseki Temple in northern Japan's Iwate region has decided to end the popular annual rite. Organizing the event, which draws hundreds of participants and thousands of tourists every year, has become a heavy burden for the aging local faithful. The "Sominsai" festival is the latest tradition impacted by the country's aging population crisis.

0 Articles

All

Left

Center

Right

VOA News

Japan's 'Naked Men' Festival Succumbs to Aging of Population

Ōshū, Japan — Steam rose as hundreds of naked men tussled over a bag of wooden talismans, performing a dramatic end to a thousand-year-old ritual in Japan that took place for the last time. Their passionate chants of "Jasso, joyasa" (meaning "Evil, be gone") echoed through a cedar forest in northern Japan's Iwate region, where the secluded Kokuseki Temple has decided to end the popular annual rite. Organizing the event, which draws hundreds of…

2 months ago·United States

Read Full Article

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/year

Stories disproportionately reported by the Left or the Right

Ground News Article Assistant

Not enough coverage to generate an Article Assistant.