Asia

There is a moment every year when Japan decides it has had enough of winter. It doesn’t arrive quietly. It arrives with fistfuls of roasted soybeans, a thunderous chant of “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Demons out! Fortune in!”), and a thick sushi roll eaten in complete silence. This […]

Every February, when the last stubborn chill of winter still grips the Japanese archipelago, something joyful and a little chaotic erupts across the country. Roasted soybeans fly through the air. Children scream with delight. Grown adults in demon masks flee from tiny hands. And somewhere, in a quiet kitchen, a […]

There is something deeply satisfying about hurling a fistful of roasted soybeans at a demon. Not a metaphorical demon. An actual person dressed in a terrifying red-and-blue horned mask, crouching on your doorstep while your children shriek with delight. This is Setsubun — one of Japan’s most beloved seasonal traditions […]

Every year on February 3, millions of Japanese families open their front doors and hurl roasted soybeans into the cold night air. They shout a phrase that has echoed through Japanese homes for centuries: “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” — Demons out! Good fortune in! This is mamemaki (豆まき), […]

Every winter in Japan, just when the cold feels most stubborn, a quiet shift happens. Families gather around kitchen tables. Supermarket shelves fill with fat sushi rolls and bags of roasted soybeans. Children rehearse a chant they have known since kindergarten: “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” — Demons out! […]

Every year, as the last chill of winter settles across Japan, a quiet anticipation fills the aisles of supermarkets, convenience stores, and neighborhood sushi shops. Stacks of plump, uncut sushi rolls wrapped in glossy nori seaweed appear overnight. Hand-lettered signs point toward the lucky direction. Families gather around kitchen tables, […]