The female body form is one that understandably attracts great attention and many are prepared to go to great lengths to just see a pair of boobies! Tokyo Fox is no stranger to breasts (Haha! Never thought I’d say that!) following previous notable posts in the past on this theme including Oppai Purin (breast pudding) and the magical F-Cup cookie!

This time I went on an epic journey to see some mammaries but it’s probably not what you think although the title of this post does give it away a bit! This trip into Yamaguchi prefecture (from Hiroshima) took a little over two hours by train and then there was a 30 minute walk on top of that! Rather excessive I’m sure you’ll agree but my wife had already returned to Tokyo for work so I needed to do something with my extra day though god knows what her parents must’ve thought when I said I was going all that way to see this unique temple!!

The breast temple is in an area called Kawasaki which as it turns out is also the name of the city in Kanagawa where the Penis Festival takes place on the first Sunday of April each and every year. Such great symmetry!

On the face of it, the temple comes across as a normal place of worship but once you’ve ascended the 48 steps (yes, I counted!) and gone past the main hall you’ll encounter more boobies than one of those top shelf magazines! Usually such space consists of hanging ema (wooden plaques for writing prayers and wishes on) but at Kawasaki Kannon it is full of boxes of naked breasts which is all to do with expectant or prospective mothers praying for a safe birth, a healthy baby and an abundant supply of breast milk.

Unbelievably this is a custom in the area going back hundreds and hundreds of years to an era when childbirth was far more dangerous for both mother and child than it is today.

A sign at the foot of those steps states that Kawasaki Kannon was founded way back in 1185. As for those steps, it’s a little ironic that a place where visitors pray for help with mobility of their arms and legs has such a steep entry to the main hall! It’s also a bit odd that a temple possessing so many pairs of breasts is where people come to pray for improved eyesight!

As for the rest of the temple, well I guess not many are too interested in that but I’ll persevere anyway! There is a short hiking trail in the hills behind the temple and there’s a plethora of statues to see with the most interesting bit being the red cloths covering the chests on each one.

How to get there: Kawasaki Kannon is located at 2-1 Kawasaki, Shunan-shi, Yamaguchi-ken. The nearest station is Shinnan-yo on the JR Sanyo Line. The walking trail to the temple seen below may look like a strange route but due to limited bridges over the river  one has to go the long way round.

Click here to read ‘A Day In Yamaguchi Prefecture’