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I don`t think the reason for the Japanese`s successes and long life is down to their diet as conventional wisdom points but rather they pray to the right Gods and please somebody up there somewhere in just the right way.

Today I have been throwing beans around to ward off demons amongst other surreal things. I am not hallucinating this is the Japanese festival of Setsubun on February 3rd.

An oni.

To start off we went to a neighbours huge traditional house with tatami mats, personal shrine and papered windows. The only concession to modernity in the room we sat in was an airconditioner set to heat although I could still see my breath mist in the air. After imbibing the prerequisite in any social occasion of green tea, we set to warding off demons. First we receieved a cup of roasted soya beans and had to throw them in the house shrine in the corner of the room with a cry of Fukuwa uchi which means “Luck into the house.” Then we set off to the main entrance and repeated this ritual with a cry of “Oni wa sotto” which means demons away!

When we came to our house we ate dinner. Part of the Setsubun ritual involves having to eat a block of makisushi or rolled sushi (a long sheet of dried seaweed, with rice and an inside usually consisting of fish tuna for example and cucumber etc rolled into a cylindrical shape) whilst facing in a certain direction (this year was West-South-West) whilst remaining silent and continuously smiling until the makisushi is finished for good luck. Our block was a good one and a half inches thick and almost a foot long. As you can imagine, this took some time.

Some makisushi

The third and final part of the ritual was to eat an amount of the beans that you haven`t yet thrown at demons equal to your age plus one symbolizing your past years and good luck in the year to come.

I did all of this with full eagerness and I urge you to swallow your pride and do the same. Remember the Japanese long life expectancy and ask yourself if it`s still February 3rd where you are today, where can you get some soya beans and makisushi in a hurry?