Well, this report comes three weeks after the fact, though better late then never, right?

Katie wanted to hit the "Kanamara Matsuri" in Kawasaki, so she talked Yoshi, Sachie, and me into going. "Kana" is the kanji for "gold", meaning "metal" in this case; "mara" means "penis", so this is the "Metal Phallus Festival", even though many of the items were wooden. Actually, I'd read about the phallus festa on the Web before, which piqued my interest because it's just something you'd never see in the U.S. It's funny, in the U.S. we have flaming homos marching for gay pride, but you never see those pansies carrying giant phalluses through the streets. Wimps! Americans just don't have the balls to do something like that! (Bad pun intended.)

Anyway, the festival is supposedly to pray for good crops in the coming season, and for childless couples hoping for children to pray for a blessing. In the past apparently the festival was pretty huge, but it's gotten to be a spectacle because of stupid foreigners coming to gawk. Indeed, there were a bunch of idiots from Atsugi on the train we were on, who were drinking Jack & Coke from a 2-liter they bought on base. They were loud and making a scene—I've never been so embarrassed to be an American before in my life. No wonder other countries hate us: the representatives they see are jerks like that. Hell, I wanted to kill them. Well, the world's full of idiots, but still, one would like to put one's best foot forward when being observed by people from other countries.

I suppose I can't say much because I, a foreigner, also went to gawk at the festival. However, I'd like to think that I didn't make such an ass of myself. Granted the cultural dissonance will be high in a situation like that, yet that doesn't bestow upon one the right to pass judgement on customs one doesn't appreciate.

That said, the pictures below are there for the gawking. Descriptions are in the alt tag.