Today is Setsubun, the day — according to the old calendar — that divides winter from spring. Until a few years ago, the traditional way people in Tokyo marked this day was with mame-maki: bean throwing ceremonies, either at home or in temples and shrines, intended to drive out demons and ill luck.
These days, driven by some astute merchandising, the focus has shifted more to the Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto) tradition of eating ehomaki, a practice that was quite unknown in Tokyo,
So it's good to see the beans are being given a stylish modern make-over by the folks at C*Lab in Asakusa. In this "oni taiji" (demon extermination) kit, the beans come with their own custom leather pouch. Very handy for keeping with you, maybe attached to your belt, in case you encounter those bad guys around town!
Instead of the standard dry-parched soybeans, C*Lab has substituted sugar-coated beans — just as you might expected, from a confectioner that seems to be very much in tune to the present rather than the past.
As introduced in my Japan Times piece yesterday, C*Lab is a very cool little workshop/store/café, and it deserves its own post. Coming up tomorrow...
And in case you were wondering... If you are eating ehomaki this year, the lucky direction is supposed to be south-southeast.
