Thank you, Dwayne !
Thanks for explaining those pictures. Maybe next time Gregory will tell us something about what he's showing us ! (Okay, Gregory? )
— Sammy, September 24, 2003

Mystery Solved
For anyone else that is puzzled this is what I found out. I found this at http://www.maff.go.jp/soshiki/koukai/muratai/21j/english/no1/mura12.html As a prayer for a good harvest and good catch, the "Hadaka Festival (Naked Festival)," a heroic and exciting festival, has been held by the town since the Edo period(1603-1867). The main event, "Shiofumi (Tide Stepping)" occurs when "Mikoshi," portable shrines carried on the shoulders, gather at the shore and jostle in the Kuroshio current, a warm south current. Each year, over 70,000 spectators crowd in to see the event.
— Dwayne Jenkins, September 24, 2003