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Akutai Matsuri - Cursing Festival - Japan celebrates the annual Akutai Matsuri on Mt. Atago’s peak in Ibaraki. The festival is known as “The Cursing Festival” celebrated during the third Sunday of December, where anyone is free to cuss, shout, and curse. It is worth mentioning that the Japanese language is not very prolific in curse words, about the worst is the Japanese word for fool or "baka". Visitors note that this festival is rather light-hearted with the cursing mostly in jest, but even so most find this festival cathartic as way of expressing oneself in public. Akutai translates as "abusive language" though die-hard fans of the profane will not hear any "four letter words" here. The event finishes up at Atago Shrine with a scattering of rice cakes distributed by shinto priests.

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Quirky Japanese Festivals
Akutai Matsuri - Cursing Festival - Japan celebrates the annual Akutai Matsuri on Mt. Atago’s peak in Ibaraki. The festival is known as “The Cursing Festival” celebrated during the third Sunday of December, where anyone is free to cuss, shout, and curse. It is worth mentioning that the Japanese language is not very prolific in curse words, about the worst is the Japanese word for fool or "baka". Visitors note that this festival is rather light-hearted with the cursing mostly in jest, but even so most find this festival cathartic as way of expressing oneself in public. Akutai translates as "abusive language" though die-hard fans of the profane will not hear any "four letter words" here. The event finishes up at Atago Shrine with a scattering of rice cakes distributed by shinto priests.