Happy Setsubun! For whatever reason, it seems like this is the only Japanese holiday that I consistently have things to write about. Three years ago, I attended festivities at Zenko-ji in Nagano City, last year I learned more about the tradition of throwing beans at an oni-mask-wearing...
While throwing something away at school last Monday, one of my coworkers struck up a conversation. 「豆」 (“mame”) He said, pointing to some beans on the table. “Eat some.” I obliged and immediately regretted it. These were Setsubun beans, dry roasted soybeans that...