Raw Japan
Slices of Japanese business, politics and life
Beating poverty, literally
In the depths of what may be Japan’s worst recession ever, more than a few people feel like they have been kicked hard.
At Bimbogami Shrine, in the mountains about four hour’s drive from Tokyo, the downtrodden can hit back — literally.
I travelled to the shrine where male and female pilgrims were beating the hell out of the God of Poverty, in an age old ritual.
Under instruction from the head of the shrine, the stressed and impoverished offered a little common-man payback, using a red rod to whack the god’s wooden pillar.
