rakuda ito

gif×1 png×2 Setsubun in Chinatown

Added 2025-02-03 02:40:21 +0000 UTC

Ramen girl and panda enjoying Setsubun.

Setsubun is on February 2nd this year (usually February 3rd).

Setsubun is an ancient Japanese ritual of throwing beans to ward off demons (bad luck) and bring in good fortune.

ONIs hate beans, so beans are scattered outside with "Oni wa soto" (ONIs outside) and inside with "fuku wa uchi" (good fortune in).

At events and entertainment, a person may wear a ONI mask and become the target for bean throwing. In such cases, the mask is usually made of paper and comes as a freebie with the beans sold as merchandise.

It looks like the panda brought a real ONI mask.

There is also the custom of facing a specific direction of good luck and biting into an ehoumaki (oversized sushi roll) during Setsubun. I am not sure of the origin of this one, but this is the reason why you see illustrations of girls su◯king on black sushi rolls here and there these days.　