Setsubun

Feb. 3 is Setsubun in Japan. It is a 'seasonal division' festival where rituals are performed to chase away evil spirits at the start of spring. Traditionally, beans are thrown (beans are good luck) around your house while shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Devils out, happiness in") and then everyone has to eat as many beans as they are years old.

A newer way of celebrating is with Ehoumaki (lucky long sushi rolls). There are four rules for this ritual.
1. You make a long sushi roll with 7 kinds of food inside.
2. You do not cut the sushi roll.
3. You eat the roll facing this year's luck direction with your eyes closed (NNW for 2012).
4. You can not talk while eating.

We went to a Ehoumaki party, but for those of us who are less talented at rolling sushi, it got very messy toward the end.


Kris' amphipods have had babies! You can see a tiny amphipod that resembles an adult in the photo below (bottom right). There is an adult on the left side of the photo.