With the beginning of the new year, the time has come again to begin the celebrations of Setsubun. If you aren’t familiar with this Japanese tradition, the event falls on the day before spring and is full of festivities. As it divides winter and spring, the literal meaning is season division, hence why it falls on this specific date. The events performed during Setsubun center mainly involve beans, such as the act of mamemaki which is when someone in the family (usually a parent) wears an oni mask and the children throw beans at them to “exorcise” the bad spirits from one’s home. Another common practice involves eating the beans for good luck. All of these activities are special in marking the end of winter and welcoming the new spring season.
Children Wearing Oni Masks for Setsubun – Photo Credit: Wa
Activities Available during Setsubun
Bean Throwing
As briefly mentioned, one commonly performed activity during this time of year is throwing roasted beans out of one’s home, or even at shrines. While doing this, people normally recite “oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!” to indicate that demons should be sent out of the home, and fortune should be brought in. Wooden boxes full of beans for Setsubun are typically sold at convenience stores in Japan leading up to the day, but you may find them at grocery stores too. You can also find oni masks sold there as well, so make sure to grab one so you can share in the festivities with friends or family.
Roasted Soybeans Eaten on Setsubun – Photo Credit: Osaka Metro Nine
Eating Soybeans
After everyone is done throwing the beans for good fortune, now you get to eat them for even more good luck! The tradition is to eat one soybean for each year of your life. Typically, right after throwing the beans you’d pick them up and eat, but you can always buy beans for each separate activity.
Ehomaki Rolls – Photo Credit: foodex
Enjoy Ehomaki
Ehomaki is Setsubun’s traditional dish, an entire sushi roll that is unsliced, and eaten as such. Representing the seven gods of fortune, the roll consists of 7 ingredients. However, the construction of the sushi is not all there is to it, besides this, there are traditions when it comes to ehomaki. One is that you must face the lucky direction of the year while you eat, (this year’s direction being west-southwest) and you must eat the entire thing in silence.
Crow Tengu and Red Tengu Parading Shimokitazawa – Photo Credit: kanko-setagaya
Festivals and Events to see during Setsubun
Shimokitazawa Tengu Festival
If you are looking for a place to enjoy throwing beans with others, the annual huge parade in the lively neighborhood of Shimokitazawa is just the thing for you. During this Setsubun event, the participants dress up as either the crow or the special red tengu and parade the street, allowing parade viewers to throw beans around them and chant “fuku wa uchi!” You’ll also get to see a huge tengu mask rolled down the street, and candy is thrown at attendees all while the participators play loud drums and conch shells for a performance.
Despite the at-home tradition allowing you to chant “oni wa soto” that expression is not said at this festival, as the tengu are not the typical type of yokai that you are probably familiar with. These crow-like beings are a different type of Japanese monster that is said to bring luck, disappearing once wishes for fortune are made. Thus, this festival focuses on good fortune for the spring.
This festival also has other smaller activities scattered throughout the area, such as a soybean stamp rally where you collect stamps by shopping at certain stores. Once you have enough you can participate in a game that involves earning a prize if you can pour a certain amount of beans into a jar. In addition, you can also purchase beans, and even a Tengu mask at the surrounding small shop stands.
Dates: January 31st – February 2nd
Time: 31st: Starts at 8:00 PM
1st: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
2nd: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Price: Free
Address: Tokyo, Setagaya, 2 Chome-37-17 Kitazawa, Setagaya City, Tokyo 155-0031, Japan
Website: https://shimokita1ban.com/tengufestival93/
Bean Throwing Festival at Naritasan Fudoson – Photo Credit: kansaiculture
Naritasan Fudoson Bean Throwing Festival
This festival takes place at one of the biggest temples in Northern Osaka. Due to this temple’s reputation of warding against Oni, Naritasan Fudoson has become a popular shrine for many to gather at to celebrate Setsubun. In fact, being such a popular destination, it’s not uncommon to find celebrities at the temple for the morning festivities of throwing beans.
If you happen to be close enough to the main stage you may get the chance to catch some of the beans being thrown by the priests. Many bring boxes for a better chance at catching some, so bringing one may be a good idea if that is something you are after. Similar to the Shimokitazawa festival, oni wa soto is not chanted here, so make sure to only wish for fuku wa uchi if you get the chance to attend.
Dates: February 2nd
Time: Bean throwing event occurs at 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM, 4:00 PM for the sumo event
Price: Free
Address: 10-1 Narita Nishimachi, Neyagawa, Osaka 572-8528, Japan
Website: https://www.naritasan.or.jp/english/
Dainanogi Fire Ritual at Heiji Jingu – Photo Credit: kanpai-japan
Heian Shrine’s Setsubun Festival
Located in Kyoto’s Heian Jingu, this festival is packed with performances to ring in the spring season. The festival begins at 1 PM and starts with priests performing a Shinto ritual, praying, and offering to the gods at the shrine along with purifications. While this festival is a great way to celebrate Setsubun, you will also get to experience Japanese Shintoism culture firsthand.
Following the ritual, costumed performers will participate in an exorcism, a practice called Daina no Gi, once held at the Imperial Palace during the Heian period. The performers represent warriors, diviners and oni, all of which will perform a high-energy show. Sometimes the oni performers will try to scare the crowd, making the Heian’s Setsubun Festival interactive and fun! Of course, being a Setsubun celebration, you will eventually see the people who work at the shrine, including the priests, geiko and maiko, throw packets of beans at the oni, and viewers have a chance to catch them if you’re lucky. Unlike the other festivals we mentioned, you can chant oni wa soto along with fuku wa uchi at this festival.
At the end of the festival, you can witness a fire ritual held on the main grounds of the temple.
Dates: February 3rd
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Price: Free
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SKDhF4yyS8UZqe6m6
Website: https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/language/english.html
Welcome the Spring Season with Beans and Fun
With mamemaki, roasted bean eating, ehomaki, and various festivals throughout Japan, Setsubun is a time for people of all ages to spend time together. With this blog, we hope to leave you with not only a decent idea of how to celebrate Setsubun, but also some of the best places to join in on all the festivities and fun shaped around leaving the cold winter behind and welcoming the spring. Since the traditions behind Setsubun are very simple to follow, everyone can enjoy and learn a new Japanese celebration whilst casting bad luck out and bringing fortune into their home in a fun new way. Whether you can get your hands on some soybeans and participate by throwing them, or go to a festival and try your luck at catching some beans yourself, the most important part is wishing for good things to come in the springtime whilst still having fun.
Feature photo credit: matcha-jp
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