Kanamara Matsuri: the giant penis festival

The internet is helping a traditional Japanese fertility festival in Kawasaki, Japan, to go from strength to strength.

Kanamara Matsuri, or the Festival of the Steel Phallus, is an annual celebration of fertility which today raises money for HIV sufferers. According to Hiroyuki Nakamura (Excuse me, Priest Nakamura), the giant penis’ god is worshiped in order to help cure diseases of the lower half of the body. It is also a god that can help in the fight against AIDS.

It’s just the perfect family day out.