Japanese Men Participate In Oto Fire Festival

SHINGU, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 06: Men (Noboriko) walk back after praying at the shrine while waiting for the start of the the Oto Fire Festival at the Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine on February 6, 2015 in Shingu, Japan. The male-only festival celebrates the close of winter and sees nearly 2000 men run down the 538 steep stone steps from the mountain shrine. The day begins at dusk with Noboriko preparing themselves by bathing in saltwater during a purifying ceremony on a beach in Ojigahama, throughout the day white coloured foods are eaten and sweet white sake is enjoyed, before participants get dressed in the all-white traditional clothes specially worn for the ceremony. The outfit consists of all white underclothing, tights and a rope tied seven times around the waist. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)