New Year's tradition in Japan states that after the holidays are over families gather the pine decorations displayed around their house and take them to a shrine to be burnt in a large bonfire. At Sendai's Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, this tradition has expanded into a large festival that has attracted visitors from across the country for over 300 years. The Dotonsai Festival, which took place on 14 January this year, is best known for its hadakamairi, or "nude march." In it, a group of men make their wintry pilgrimage wearing only a white cotton cloth, headband, and socks, in order to pray for a healthy and vigorous new year. This unusual festival is one of Sendai's signature events! Don't miss it!

Read more about this and other Sendai winter festivals here!

Photo provided by the Miyagi Prefecture Industry Department, Tourism Division.