25 images Created 12 Aug 2011
Photojournalist in Japan
Ben Weller is a travel writer and photographer in Japan, with more than a decade of experience living and working in East Asia. Ben's work appears in major international news, travel, and trade publications. Use the right and left arrows on the image above to view more stories and collections.
![FEBRUARY 11, 2018 - Men wearing loincloths march to the sea during Toba-no-Hi-matsuri, a fire festival held annually at Toba Shinmeisha, a Shinto shrine in Nishio, Japan. <br />
<br />
The festival begins with men walking from the shrine to the sea, and standing in the ocean wearing only loincloths as part of a purification ritual.<br />
<br />
The celebration culminates with the burning of torches built from bamboo and pampas grass. The burning of the torches allows the locals to divine the year’s weather and harvest.<br />
<br />
(Photo by Ben Weller/AFLO) (JAPAN) [UHU]](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000OxJ_jYQ8fyU/fit=/fill=180x180/g=G0000w_dZezTktJk/I0000OxJ_jYQ8fyU.jpg)
![FEBRUARY 11, 2018 - Men wearing loincloths march to the sea during Toba-no-Hi-matsuri, a fire festival held annually at Toba Shinmeisha, a Shinto shrine in Nishio, Japan. <br />
<br />
The festival begins with men walking from the shrine to the sea, and standing in the ocean wearing only loincloths as part of a purification ritual.<br />
<br />
The celebration culminates with the burning of torches built from bamboo and pampas grass. The burning of the torches allows the locals to divine the year’s weather and harvest.<br />
<br />
(Photo by Ben Weller/AFLO) (JAPAN) [UHU]](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000XiumL3frk3A/fit=/fill=180x180/g=G0000w_dZezTktJk/I0000XiumL3frk3A.jpg)
![FEBRUARY 11, 2018 - Men wearing loincloths march to the sea during Toba-no-Hi-matsuri, a fire festival held annually at Toba Shinmeisha, a Shinto shrine in Nishio, Japan. <br />
<br />
The festival begins with men walking from the shrine to the sea, and standing in the ocean wearing only loincloths as part of a purification ritual.<br />
<br />
The celebration culminates with the burning of torches built from bamboo and pampas grass. The burning of the torches allows the locals to divine the year’s weather and harvest.<br />
<br />
(Photo by Ben Weller/AFLO) (JAPAN) [UHU]](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000Pb8AOFK6Oyw/fit=/fill=180x180/g=G0000w_dZezTktJk/I0000Pb8AOFK6Oyw.jpg)
