Ah, at last, the semester has come into full swing. Well,
the classes have been doing their thing for a while, but my social life has
kicked back into gear this weekend! On Friday night, I went for drinks with
some friends, new and old. Oh, and it turns out that one of my new Japanese
friends also likes Vocaloid! I don’t know to what extent he’s into it, but I’m
thrilled.
Today was a special holiday known as setsubun. I’m not exactly sure on the origins, but it seems to be
the Japanese equivalent of Groundhog’s Day. Well, the beginning of spring. And
let me tell you, the weather has been GREAT. Yesterday was freakishly warm, and
I wandered out in a t-shirt. Today was a little chillier in the morning, but it
turned into a fine spring day by noon. If only it would stay like this…
Right, setsubun.
Essentially, the big thing to do is to have someone dress up as an oni (Japanese demon) and have kids throw
mame (soybeans) at them while
shouting “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi
(out with demons, in with good luck).
I invited a bunch of people to go to Yoshida Shrine, which
holds one of the biggest setsubun festivals
in Kyoto, but due to scheduling (everyone went on Saturday), only my friend
Dani showed up. We found our way to the shrine, mostly by following the big
crowds of people, where there really was a matsuri
set up. Various stalls had food for sale, and some featured games. We made our
way up into the shrine, tossed in our coins, and then wandered on up the hill.
We somehow went up through to a different shrine, and then
out from there to a lovely little park on the top of the hill. Kids were
playing, older folks were out walking, and there were these adorable little
puppies running around. From just off in the distance, you could still hear the
sounds of the festival.
Along the way, Dani had decided that she wanted to check out
Fushimi-Inari, another famous shrine located south of Kyoto. So, after buying
charms and getting fortunes, we walked (Yes, WALKED. The weather was nice.) down
to Karasuma Oike. Now, all the while, Dani was wearing this red oni mask. Walking down the street, we
got a lot of smiles from people passing by. Some kids doing bike tricks by the
river waved to us. Twice, parents pointed Dani out to their children, who were
frozen stiff. Not sure if that was the oni
or the two gaijin, but is was
adorable.
Since we knew he lived in the area, we called up Nick to
join us at the shrine. Getting there was a tad more complicated than I
expected: the shrine is NOT near the Fushimi Kintetsu station, so we had to go south,
change lines, then go back north. Anyway, we made it there. Eventually. We were
kind of hungry, so we went to a ramen place Nick know. By which I mean, the
people there know him. He chatted a little with the shop owner, and then one of
the other customers. Nick knows EVERYONE.
Having eaten, we set off to climb Inari. This is no little
shrine – the thousands of torii gates
go on and on, up and down the mountain. Flashback three years, I was there in the
dead of summer, when all the creepy crawlies were out in full force. Going in
late winter this time was a good decision. We climbed, higher and higher, but our spirits
dropped a bit by the time we reached the first landing. We’re all fat and out
of shape, so it wasn’t easy going…
Anyway, we pressed onwards. It took a good while, but we got
to the top just before sunset. Well, not that you could see the sun set really
well, since there were trees and stuff in the way. But the sky was pretty. We
made a small offering, prayed, and then took a rest on the steps. The way down
was…well, not easier than going up. The steps are made kind of stupidly, so
they aren’t easy to go up or down on.
Ah well. As Nick pointed out, the shadows are cool there at night.
Arriving home slightly later than anticipated, my host
family had already prepared dinner. But before that, my host mom brought out
the beans I had asked her to buy, which I took out to the garden and tossed,
scaring away any oni that were
planning on taking my fortune this year. GET OUT AND STAY OUT! :P
And then, we ate. There is a special type of maki sushi eaten on setsubun known as ehoumaki
(good direction sushi). It’s a long sushi roll that you eat facing a certain
lucky direction, which changes yearly. This time around, it was
south-south-east. So, facing the south-south-east, I devoured the ehoumaki, and then had some tofu and
stuff to go with it. Good stuff, very tasty.
My first setsubun,
enjoyed to the very fullest. Today was a good day. Not just because I got to go
to a festival, nor because I participated in some Japanese traditions. Today
was a day of sun and smiles. Trees are green again, and flowers are starting to
bloom. After a long winter, Kyoto is coming back to life. And I, too, see a new
beginning on the horizon.
