節分

Feb 3rd was Setsubun, or the holiday of "seasonal divide".

Never to be let down by Japanese customs, I enjoyed partaking in the following

(super japanese) rituals:

First, we performed the wonderfully soy act of "Mamemaki" or, "Bean Throwing"

where you open the front door, take a hand full of beans, and throw them outside chanting

"Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" which translates to "Demons outside! Blessings in the house!"

Super boss right? I sure thought so. After that I had to eat 21 beans, cuz i'm 21 years old. Glad i'm not 100 cuz they weren't very good.

This is one of the demons we're trying to keep out; i think hes kinda cute though:

Then, at dinner, my host parents left to go partake in some adults-only Setsubun shit,

I don't know what, but they left me with directions on how to eat my traditional Setsubun meal.

I found a single, uncut sushi roll, about the size of a Chipotle burrito, wrapped up waiting for me.

Apparently this is called "Eho-maki" or "Lucky Direction Roll".

You have to eat it facing the lucky direction of that year, based on the zodiac or something? Anyway, you're not allowed to talk while you eat it, and you HAVE to eat it all at once, or "you won't be happy". I did, of course, but am glad that i have a super bad cold right now cuz i didn't really have to taste it. and there looked to be a few things in it that i'm glad i couldn't taste, let alone the 15 square feet of seaweed it was wrapped in.

Anyway, Setsubun is totally rad.

Can't wait till next season!!!!!!