Setsubun

Setsubun marks the day before the official start of spring.  It is recognized on February 3rd by...  bean-throwing!

In shops and homes, people toss roasted soybeans into the air while chanting "Out with evil, in with good fortune!"  The idea is to chase away bad things and invite good things in.

In a family with young children, the father may wear a Devil or Goblin mask while the children throw beans at him - just for fun of course!

Some of the shops in our neighborhood had window displays, such as this one at a shop called Blue and White:

 The display features depictions of goblins: 

It is said that, after tossing the beans in your home, you should eat the number of beans that corresponds with your age, to invite good health for the coming year.

Friday morning in my neighborhood, shops were busy preparing for Setsubun.  I bought some roasted soybeans - we enjoyed them but I confess we didn't keep careful count of how many we ate!

I sent some beans to Noelle in college, but I wonder how she'll feel about the idea of tossing beans up in the air in her dorm room! 

What's that 9:30 p.m. sound?

For weeks now, we have noticed a peculiar sound out in the street next to our apartment building, always at around 9:30 pm.  It is the sound of two wooden sticks being struck together, like a percussive instrument being played in a very slow, steady rhythm.

Last night when we heard this now familiar sound, we quickly turned off our light and opened our window to investigate.  Looking down from our third story window, we saw four people wearing orange vests, walking slowly down the alley.  One carried a traditional lantern, two carried flashlights which they shone here and there as if looking for something, and the fourth beat together two large sticks.  

I was told today that these groups are traditional volunteer fire fighting groups.  They go around the neighborhoods at night signaling with the wooden sticks and checking around for any obvious fire hazards.  The sound reminds citizens to be careful about fire by turning off kerosene heaters before bed, etc.  That makes a lot of sense!  Mystery solved!

In Japan, fire prevention is considered a civic responsibility -- each person feels personally responsible for helping to keep the neighborhood safe from fires.  Long ago, when houses were made of wood with thatched roofs, if a fire broke out in one house, it would quickly spread and could mean the destruction of a whole neighborhood, or worse.  Even with today's modern building materials and methods, earthquakes still increase the risk of fires, and Japanese people take that very seriously.  Some people in country homes still leave buckets of water standing ready outside their doorways, just in case there's a need to douse a fire or soak a roof to prevent fire from spreading.

Mr. Nanto remembers that his Japanese Grandma's very biggest fear was that a fire would break out in her home, even though her home was a farmhouse in the United States.

Can you think of any Civic Responsibilities that you have, as a citizen of Massachusetts, and as a member of your own particular neighborhood?  

Oosouji - "big cleaning"

In Japan, New Year's is also a time to spruce up, polish up, clean out, and clean up.  It is a time to clear out the clutter and dust from the old year, in order to start the new year fresh.  It is considered unlucky to ring in the New Year with clutter or dust from the old year.  It is also considered good luck to completely empty one drawer or closet shelf for the start of the New Year.  Lots of cleaning-related tasks happen in the weeks leading up to "oshogatsu" (New Year's).

When I came across these window washers last month, I couldn't help but imagine the excitement on the other side of the windows - this is an international preschool!   Can you imagine window washers suddenly appearing outside your classroom window at Russell Street?

Last month we had a "fire and pipe inspection" in the apartment.  Uniformed workers came to the apartment, and checked to see whether we were properly cleaning the bathroom drains (it's complicated and we wouldn't have known how to do it if a friend hadn't shown us!) and the kitchen sink drains (also somewhat complicated).  They also inspected our fire alarms and the hose from our washing machine.  They came in quietly and were in and out within five minutes, but it was nerve wracking!

Walking home from errands yesterday morning, I happened to come across our garbage collectors.  They pick up our garbage faithfully each Wednesday and Saturday, and we are grateful!  This was the first garbage pickup day in our neighborhood since the New Year's week when businesses were closed and services suspended, so there was more garbage than usual piled up along the streets in the neighborhood.

We follow very strict rules for recycling and garbage removal, and everything needs to be put out in clear bags (so that officials can check to make sure we aren't cheating!).  We have five (!) garbage cans/bags in our tiny kitchen, for:
1.  Regular garbage, which goes out twice a week.
2.  Miscellaneous plastics, including baggies, packaging, etc.  We are amazed at how much plastic we throw away!
3.  Paper products - also amazing how much paper we use and throw away!
4.  Cans/ glass bottles/PET bottles.   We further sort them into separate piles when we put them out for pickup.
5.  Unburnable garbage (old junk like a flower pot or a broken pair of scissors).
 
This makes recycling at the Transfer Station in Littleton seem like a piece of cake!

We refer to this chart to make sure we are doing the right thing: