SOMINSAI: THE END OF A 1000-YEAR-OLD FESTIVAL takes an in-depth look at the end of Sominsai, a unique cultural festival in Japan. The festival revolves around a traditional ritual in which loinclothed men push themselves to their physical limits through a series of competitive challenges that act as a purification ritual and form of prayer to the Buddha for a bountiful harvest and plentiful health. Watch as hundreds of men plunge into freezing water, get enveloped in smoke, and jostle through the night to battle for a sacred sewing sack that is said to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.