The Conch Shell will blow commencing the festival of fertility and a good harvest this Winter February 2020. It has been celebrated for hundreds of years in the snow and ice; 2019-2020, the weather has been mild this winter with little to no snow on the Honshu Japans main Island, and there were many fears there would be no snow and ice, for the fertility festival this year! But now it looks like it will go on off without a hitch since there is a cold snap with snow and Ice about to plummet the mountainsides of Niigata, Japan. At this fertility ceremony, The newlywed's both participate in the festivities; the women are dressed beautifully in Japnese ceremonial kimonos. The husbands are not so lucky, they are basically wearing underpants and are doused with buckets of icy, freezing cold water by Shinto priests on a ceremonial sacrificial stage made of ice and snow; it's an ancient ceremony in Japan. The ceremony is mainly for good fortune in the birth of healthy and plentiful children. And yes, this area has one of the highest birthrates in Japan! And yes, that is a "ceremonial phallus" on the right side of the ceremonial stage! This ancient ceremony takes place way off the beaten path in Niigata, Japan. This winter wonderland Japan I am fully booked with Hokkaido Japan photo tour workshops taking participants and me on the adventure of a lifetime, as we visit pilgrims spots along the way. This winter, participants on my Hokkaido photo workshops and private tours will visit Niigata, Snow Monkies, Mt. Fuji, Kyushu, Okinawa, Tokyo, and other several other prefectures across Japan. But if you would like to photograph this festival with a press box seat and much more in 2021, contact me. I may have spaces available, but be warned they sell out fast, and first come first serve!