Men with a healthy penis, take note: The annual penis festival in Japan applauds your careful attention to proper penis care. And coming from this annual (and very popular) celebration of the phallus, that is quite a compliment indeed.

The Kawasaki way

Held the first Sunday in April in Kawasaki, the Kanamara Matsuri (literally, the Festival of the Steel Phallus) began in 1977; however, the shrine that is its centerpiece dates back centuries.

According to a legend from the 1600s, a demon took up residence in a young woman's vagina and kept biting off the organs of any man who tried to enter her. Understandably frustrated, she sought the help of a blacksmith, who fashioned a steel phallus. When this was placed inside the woman, the demon bit down and broke his teeth. His lesson learned, he left the poor woman alone.

Keep a healthy penis

The Kanamara shrine venerates the male member and the penis festival focuses on the importance of maintaining the health of one's equipment. While the celebration features many fun activities and is overflowing with giant tools, candies in the shape of members and a wide range of prosthetic appendages, the main message is: A healthy penis is a happy penis.

That's a lesson that more men need to take to heart. It's laudable that many men take steps to protect themselves and their partners from STIs by using proper protection; that's absolutely essential to good penis health.

However, often men think that this protection is all there is to maintaining a healthy penis. As a result, they may tend to neglect more "everyday" issues that can have a significant impact on how one's manhood looks and feels.

Among the issues that are often overlooked by men are:

- The aroma of the tool. A slight scent of musk attached to one's package can stimulate a partner's olfactory responses, and that's good. But a penis that carries around with it a rank, sweaty odor is a big liability. Indeed, unwanted penis odor is a major complaint among many women.

- Unsightly penis skin. The skin of the member is especially sensitive - and therefore it can go from looking fit and healthy to dry and unappealing relatively easily. Dry patches, flakiness, scaliness, red splotches and other common dermatological problems can be major game-changers, in the wrong way.

- De-sensitization. All those nerve ending in the penis are crucial to a man's optimum enjoyment of sex, whether with a partner or by himself. When those nerves are alive, the experience of sex is thrilling. However, a penis can become de-sensitized over time, especially if it is frequently submitted to rough (if enjoyable) handling during sexual activity. When the nerves become deadened, the sensory experience is impacted in a significantly negative way.

One doesn't need to attend a penis festival to understand the importance of a healthy penis or to take steps to ensure the health of one's own manhood. Using a first-class penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) is one of the easiest ways to help maintain the health of that rod. Ideally, one wants a crème that can address all the issues mentioned above. Therefore, finding a crème with vitamin A, natural moisturizers and acetyl L-carnitine is essential. Vitamin A has anti-bacterial properties that actively fight the root causes of rank penis odor. Natural moisturizers like Shea butter and vitamin E battle the dehydration that causes many dermatological issues. And acetyl L-carnitine is a neuroprotective ingredient that helps fight the peripheral nerve damage that interferes with penis sensitivity. Put them all in one crème and the result is a superior yet easily applied method of keeping one's member healthy and happy.