Held annually on the second Sunday of March, the Nagaoka Hodare Festival is all about one thing - fertility. The festival parades a giant phallus through the local area, spanning 2.2 meters in length and weighing in at around 600 kilograms. It's said that if you touch it, you're blessed with good luck in the fertility realm, whether that's fertility in the sense of trying for a child, or praying for the success of crops and a plentiful harvest.
The event boasts a wide range of phallus paraphernalia available for purchase including lollipops, pens and key chains, if you're after an amusing memento from the experience.
Getting there
Since the Nagaoka Hodare Festival is held outside walking distance from Nagaoka Station, a free shuttle bus will be available from the station's East Exit for the event. Applications for the free shuttle are required in advance, which you can do by calling the Tochio Tourist Association on 0258 51 1195.
/139.0039949,37.4257825,9/397x132?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiamFwYW50cmF2ZWxtYXBzIiwiYSI6ImNqbXBtOXYxbDB5Z3ozbHFrazJuYWMwOGYifQ.v15fy_mcFWtgopmz8PhwqA)