Today is Setsubun, the bean throwing festival which marks the coming of spring. Traditionally, people toss beans outside and say, "Out with demons! In with luck!" (鬼は外！福は内！Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!) Little man celebrated at school by making an oni (demon) mask, and eating soy nuts. The students chased around teachers wearing masks and tossed beans at them as well.
In the evening we tossed beans out the door, and ate uncut sushi rolls that I purchased at the local market. It was pretty hectic after work to buy the rolls (above). They also sold roll cakes with oni on them (below).
The oni marketing outside the supermarket.
All the sushi rolls.
Our dinner haul- two types of sushi rolls and one roll cake. Yum.
We also participated in the tradition of eating a soy bean for each year of life, plus one for good luck. The beans taste a bit like unsalted peanuts. Not a bad snack, but better when chased with beer.
Setsubun beans.
My life in beans. Lots of beans.
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