Setsubun

It is already evening here and Setsubun is almost over but I thought I'd get in an explanation of this bean throwing custom.

Setsubun is connected with a ritual to drive evil out and good fortune into the home...  I don't know why the beans are used but anyway, people will throw beans out their door or window and yell "Evil out!  Fortune in!"  Tetsu and I just came home from a trip to the supermarket and our neighbor had just opened his upstairs window (he lives alone) and was tossing dried soy beans OUT onto the street and INTO his mouth.

Tetsu thought it very funny that the man was doing this all by himself... it is usually a custom that children enjoy with Dad wearing a demon mask and being driven out of the house by bean throwing munchkins...

That is until I stepped out of the kitchen wearing a demon mask myself...  Might as well get into the mood of things.  I had bought peanuts rather than soy beans (peanuts are acceptable and easier to eat) and allowed Tetsu to toss a few at me...

And then Tetsu played the demon for me...  If I do say so myself, Tetsu makes a better demon than I do.

You would think we nearly 60 year old adults would have better things to do with our time...