Festival supporters carry mikoshi or portable shrine with large phallus on them under the torii gate at the entrance to Kanayama Shrine during the Kanamara Matsuri, (Festival of the Steel Phallus). Kawasaki Daishi, Kanagawa, Japan. Sunday April 3rd 2016. The famous Kawasaki Penis Festival started in 1977 as a small festival to celebrate an old legend about the defeat of a penis eating demon. Today the festival is a huge draw for Japanese and foreign tourists and raises money for HIV and AIDS research.
{}