
Inazawa City Japan, thousands of young men, with nothing but a loincloth protecting their nether regions from the biting Japanese winter, throng a symbolic naked man who is paraded through the streets on a journey towards a particular shrine. The "Shin-Otoko", must be completely shaved of hair and can expect to be bruised, battered and generally manhandled as the followers try to grab hold of any bit of him they can reach.Tradition held that the Naked Man absorbs the bad luck and past indiscretions of those who touch him For hundreds of years, followers have strived to transfer their evil spirits to him and harry him out of town. Japan is a place that's nearly always polite, civilised and ordered; here's a chance to see a bit of its slightly creepy side in action.

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