Kelly Shibari, of BBW porn fame happened to be visiting Japan in April and she told me that she was spending her day at Kanamara Matsuri, which isn't the only festival of its kind in Japan but it is the most well known, especially to tourists and resident foreigners as another Japonistic ecleticism.
I was already aware of the spiritual ritual associated with fertility in Japan as Uwajima, next to my mothers hometown also has not only a similar festival in August but an entire sexuality museum that i had already visited with my Aunt, no less. (another blog, another day). I was heavily jet lagged from just coming back from Los Angeles 2 days before and I also caught a cold from the airplane so nothing, not even dicks everywhere could cheer me up but I definitely wanted to see the event "in the flesh." I caught the subway from Tokyo 45 minutes to Kanagawa. I already missed the best parts of the event it seemed, but being sick and tired and far away by public transportation, i was glad i made it. The parade starts at 10am and then there are fun festivities such as the daikon radish carving contest that i missed! I roamed around in a head cold jet lagged haze and was so surprised at how many male bodied foreigners there were. Perhaps every male gaijin in Kanto was at this event it seemed. It was very interesting to see Japanese girls and some guys sucking on dick shaped lollipops out in broad daylight since Japanese sexuality is usually reserved for private and specific times and places, perhaps this was one of those acceptable ones. I got 2 pink penis candles and they are sitting on my altar, next to all things sacred at my home in Tokyo. I have a fantasy placed by porn conditioning of having 2 dicks in my mouth so placing them on the altar helps to send that message to the Universe so i might be able to manifest that reality! You would think it might be easy but, like many things seen and only done in porn it is a lot harder for any real dick owners i have ever known to simultaneously penetrate my mouth. Ive asked! I promise i have.
There was just a lot of beer drinking and hanging out, a Kawasaki wedding type band was on stage playing their hits. I couldn't drink and it was extremely crowded and hot. The Japanese people were so excited that they could view and worship a natural part of the human body without GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED PIXELIZATION covering its beautiful shape for once. Indeed, this festival and ritual has beem part of Japans history for many centuries since Edo.
During this period, the river town of Kanagawa was a port town that was well known for tea house brothels. The prostitutes of the area would pray at the local temple to be protected from venereal diseases as well as fertility for hopeful mothers.
Today, the large pink phallus has a name (Elizabeth) and a purpose (to highlight LGBT awareness by having the mikoshi (penis pallaquin) carried by male to female transwomen. Elizabeth is donated by the local queer bar so this part serves as a mini queer pride parade element in a sea of heteronormativity. Luckily, sex workers in Japan today can use much more than prayer to protect themselves from STI/AIDS but the contemporary festivities seem to overshadow the spiritual and historical origins. But, sho ga nai (it cannot be helped). As i said, as a foreign Japanese American its great to see any sex positivity out in the open.
