Dannielle- Setsubun

Setsubun

In February, there is a holiday in Japan called Setsubun. In celebration of the special day, I ventured out to Nagatacho (close to my work here in Shibuya) and visited the Hie Temple. It was so beautiful and peaceful up on a small hill, and oddly placed among the city life of Tokyo.

It was crowded with people (but not too crowded, hence why I chose Nagatacho over Asakusa) standing in front of the temple "stage", within which we could hear some music and see some people inside dancing and preparing for the event.

Because I got there earlier, I had to wait a bit, and so I talked with the older couple that stood next to me. Turns out, the husband and wife had been to the US before and lived in New Orleans about 10 years ago, so we eased into some great conversation. Very sweet people.

When the event started, I witnessed a person dressed as an oni (demon) emerging from inside the temple, being drawn out by the priests who threw beans at him and shouted a special Setsubun mantra. The temple became very lively during the performance, and after the oni disappeared behind the curtains, the priests and priestesses proceeded to throw beans and small snacks to the people who stood crowded around. I didn't join the crowd to catch any snacks or beans, but I had fun standing behind, watching, and taking pictures.

Also, when I got home, I did another interesting Setsubun ritual with my host brother and sister. While sitting west-southwest, you eat uncut makizushi. And while you eat it, you're not allowed to talk. When I asked why we couldn't talk (afterwards, of course), my host sister was like, "I don't know, we just do." Haha!

Back in the States, we definitely don't have anything quite like Setsubun, so I thought the whole experience was very interesting.

Basically, during Setsubun (and you can probably just google this, but I'd like to give you my couple cents worth, too), is that they throw beans saying, "Demons out, and good luck in!" as protection to the household and famly. It's mostly a kids' event, but I - of course - had a lot of fun with it, too.

Comments

Hayley- Looking back

Looking Back The Month in Review: As we begin February, it is time for me to write my monthly report. Technically speaking, I haven’t been in Japan for a month yet, but this report covers all that I have done in January. As part of the report, I put together a summary of different categories within my life. While the following is rather dry, I thought my blog readers might find it interesting and informative. Host Family: I have a wonderful host family, and I’ve enjoyed settling in and getting to know them. My 8-year-old host brother has adjusted to me, and we get along very well. My 13-year-old host sister has been a great help as I learn Japanese; she has a notebook where she writes down new Japanese words and phrases that I am learning. Sugoi-ne! My host parents are wonderful. My host mom makes me feel like part of the family. She understands about the little things that make one feel “included” in family life. Something as smal...

LEX American Intern: Brittany

LEX American Intern: Brittany Introduction and First Impressions: On LEX Hippo, and living in 日本 for a week Greetings and Salutations, my full name is Brittany Esther Gautier, but you can call me び [/bi/: BEE], or Brit, or びじ[BEE-GEE], or my official title Japanese resident registration ぶりとに[literally, "bu-RI-to-ni], or Britney Spears, or Brit-Brit, or ぶりぶり, or Estee. Or like a few of my previous Spanish speaking co-workers you can just call me Shakira. I am a year-long intern for LEX Hippo America. I speak English, understand a good amount of Spanish, and am focusing on learning Portuguese, and Japanese. I'm so excited to have been chosen for this wonderful program, and I'm overwhelmingly grateful for this opportunity to travel, learn, and expand my worldview in such an authentic and meaningful way. Background As I said before, I'm Brittany. I'm 22 years old, but on October 8th, I will be 23. Soy de Estados Unidos en California. Mi familia se com...

Daniel- こにちわ！！

こにちわ！！　(Daniel) Hello,こにちわ, bonjour, Привет ! My name is Daniel Panasenko, and I am the 2012-2013 LEX intern in the Hippo office in Tokyo. I am from Sacramento, California, although originally from Dnipropetrovs'k, Ukraine. I first came across LEX and Hippo when I came to Japan with People to People in 2009. I was hosted by members of the Hippo Family Club for four days, and I enjoyed the experience so much, that I came back to work for Hippo as an intern. Although I am fairly new to Hippo, I have been received warmly and welcomed into the Hippo family. Everyone at the office and at the family clubs are very kind, supportive, and incredibly patient as I unintentionally butcher their language. As the year progresses, I will blog about my experiences in Japan as well as my insights into the language and culture. Although I am a bit overwhelmed by the novelty of the lifestyle and language, but I am more than happy to be here, making fascinating new discoveri...

Search This Blog