Good day, Now it has come the second month of year and we hope you have been well. According to a calendar, we are in the spring as of 4th February, culturally called 立春(rissyun). It has been nice and warm in Kyoto since then, we are feeling the incipient mood for spring. The day before the first day of spring, called Setsubun, is a special day in Japan. The word stands for the division between four seasons, although most Japanese may only recognize it as the one in February today. In the old calendar of Japan, New Year was in February and this Setsubun was therefore New Year’s Eve. There had been an original ritual of spiritual purification for both ending and upcoming year held in the imperial palace during Heian era. Had prevailed and developed afterwards, an iconic tradition of the event introduced and it became widespread to folks. According to folklore, when Japanese legendary demon Oni appeared once in ...more