“Setsu-bun” according to Wikipedia is the day before the beginning of each season. The name literally means “seasonal division”, but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun.
One of the great things about living with your Japanese in-laws, in that you get to experience the national holidays in the flesh.
It’s February third, and I’m pretty sure I was not the only one throwing soybeans out the door screaming to keep the demons away and bringing in good fortune and health.
On T.V, the undefeated Sumo champion Asashoryu, dressed in pink, was doing the same.
I was not dressed in pink, but was wearing my fashionable fundoshi. A fundoshi is the traditional Japanese male underwear used until around the time of WWII, after the western influence in fashion took over it stopped being the norm, but it happened to be the underwear of choice for Kimono and Yukata and at some point a variation of it was also used as swimwear.
Popular Japanese comedian Tamura Kenji (Known as Tamu-Ken) often sports one as part of his gag as he dances with a Chinese dragon puppet. I must admit I am a big fan of Tamu-Ken, but my reasons for wearing a fundoshi reach deeper beyond my admiration for said comedian. Let me just say that if you have ever trained for a marathon you might understand the need for a soft, loose cotton underwear fashion.
As I wore with pride my fundoshi, I also got to eat a big, long, fat roll of sushi. It’s tradition to face the proper lucky direction (it changes every year according to the corresponding zodiac animal) and supposedly eat the whole thing in one bite. Ha! Good luck…
Outside the house, a sardine head stabbed on a little toothpick stood impaled looking ominously at all the demons and bad fortune, scaring them away. “Well, let’s just hope it doesn’t attract any cats”,Mom said, as she placed the fishy item by the entrance.
I’m not a fashion expert but I can safely predict that fundoshi will come back in a big way this year. Mom is already planning to make me a whole collection in different colors.
