Japanese “nude festival” leaves six men hospitalisedMany people take part in the Hadaka Matsuri at Saidaiji Kannon Temple in Okayama, Japan. (Photo: Japan National Tourism Organisation)OKAYAMA — Six men were injured in a crush during this year’s Hadaka Matsuri at Saidaiji Kannon Temple in Okayama, Japanese authorities said. The casualties occurred amid a surge of more than 10,000 nearly naked participants inside the temple grounds. The Hadaka Matsuri, or Saidaiji Eyo, is a 500‑year‑old ritual in which men wearing only a mawashi — a loincloth worn by sumo wrestlers — vie to seize sacred wooden sticks called Shingi. They then pack into the temple awaiting the Shingi, which are thrown from the second floor.

Source: Bangkok Post February 23, 2026 11:07 UTC