There are quite a few interesting festivals in Japan for the month of June. If you have some free time this summer, why not go to the Dontsuku Festival (どんつく祭り) in the town of Higashiizu (東伊豆町)? The Town is located in Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県). In the Dontsuku Festival the townspeople carry large phalluses through the streets. The Dontsuku Festival is a fertility festival when people pray for successful conjugal relations between couples.

The Itoman Hārē (糸満ハーレー) is a festival that occurs around mid-June. The Festival takes place in the Okinawan city of Itoman (糸満市). The Itoman Hārē is a dragon boat festival that is celebrated with much fanfare in the fishing community. That’s because the boat races are an entreaty to the gods for a bountiful supply of fish, and the safety of sailors at sea. The boats are decorated as colorful dragons and each team tries to beat the other team in a fast pace boat race.

The Takekiri Eshiki Matsuri (竹斬り会式祭り) is a festival where bamboo is cut into pieces. The bamboo represents an evil serpent, and the cutting of the bamboo symbolizes the victory over evil. The people who cut the bamboo into pieces are monks. They cut the bamboo with swords, which can get pretty dangerous. When you watch the video below, you can see the pieces of bamboo flying around in the air. Luckily, no one got hurt!