🏮 Mihama Noma Jinja Hadaka Mairi
美浜野間神社裸詣り
Mihama, Aichi (Noma Shrine) · Every year on 31 December
108 days to go
Rooms around Mihama, Aichi fill up while the festival is on.
The Hadaka Mairi (naked pilgrimage) held in the Ueno-ma district of Mihama Town, Aichi Prefecture, during the New Year is a traditional event that has continued since the Edo period. Young men aged 16 to 22 head into the midwinter sea, acting as substitutes for the local people in their yakudoshi (unlucky years), called yokusai here. In the dead of night at the start of the new year, the young men, wearing only fundoshi (loincloths), plunge into the sea to purify themselves and wash away misfortune. They then spend three hours visiting seven Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, enduring the harsh route together while singing Ise Ondo in chorus. In recent years, participants have dropped from more than 20 to just a few, while the yokusai and their families support the young men at their own expense, preparing special baths and cleaning the beach. The bonds of the community, woven in the bitter cold, and the pride in wanting to preserve this tradition are the heart of this festival.
Getting there
The nearest station is Ueno-ma Station on the Meitetsu Chita New Line, about a 10-minute walk away. By car, it is about 5 minutes from the Mihama IC on the Chita Peninsula Road. There is a temporary parking lot for worshippers (limited number of spaces).
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