Throwing beans and banishing demons. (3/2/17)
Every bed I've ever slept in has had some kind of noise I associate with it. From the seagulls of my childhood home to the trundling buses outside the window of the bedroom I'm in now, every bed seems to have its own noise and my first bed in the sleepy suburbs of Tokyo was no exception. As it happens we were staying a road behind the local tram station and the arrival of each one was signaled not with the loud screeching alarms that we all know and love from our local train service, but with nothing more than a soft series of bings and bongs. It was the bongs I heard as I drifted off to sleep and the bongs I head when I woke up...at 5am. Frozen.
Did I mention that we had an aircon/heater in our room? It was amazing, especially the fact that it didn't quite fit in the window properly so there were several gaps you could stick your hand through and wave to the outside world. Don't worry though because the gaps were plugged with blankets which definitely kept the February chill out. 100%. It's not even as though we could rely on each other's body heat and Ollie was in another bed on the other side of the room. Regretting our choice not to leave the heater on overnight (it was a tad noisy) I flicked it on and Googled the route to where we were going. Ollie woke up a little while later and were were ready to go by just after 7.
We left the apartment and purchased the dinkiest of train tickets and traveled to our first destination Sensō-ji, the most famous of Tokyo's many temples. We figured being early was a good thing, as most of the throngs of tourists and coach tours wouldn't have finished their breakfasts yet. It was a fifteen minute walk from the closest train station, and with it being so early many of the shops weren't open yet so we got to see beautifully painted screen covers depicting Samurai and Kabuki motifs.
We also found this little guy down a side street, a white Shiba Inu who apparently gives you good luck if you stroke his tongue. I'll try anything for some luck.
By taking the quickest route from the station actually meant that we came into the grounds from a side entrance instead of the main gate. Despite losing some of the intended impact, there was no denying how stunning the main shrine looked in the morning light.
Climbing the steps to the main shrine we admire the craftsmanship, noticing the ceilings have painted motifs of dragons and demons. Not wanting to interrupt the locals until we knew what we were supposed to do we stood to the side and lit a candle, and then decided to get our fortune by 'politely' shaking a container full of sticks until one falls out. You match the number on the stick to one of the many drawers, and claim the fortune on the piece of paper inside. Well I guess I wasn't polite enough because I got a 'bad' fortune telling me my wish would not be granted. Well screw you too, fortune stick.
The fortune read that "Water that does not flow stagnates, and the bird which does not fly loses its feathers and becomes weak." I decide to take it as a metaphor to keep changing and moving forward which takes the sting out of it a bit. Perhaps that's the point of bad fortunes.
We come back down the steps and we're greeted by an elderly gentleman with the fizziest white hair I've ever seen. We talk with him for a few minutes in a combination of broken English and Japanese and his brown toothed laugh is infectious every time one of us attempts to translate something using pantomime. He asks us where we're from assuming America, but grins wildly when we say England. Apparently he knows Brighton with its seaside palace which is unexpected. He wonders why we're here in February when it's so cold so we talk about the snow festival in Sapporo and he tells us to eat the seafood in Hokkaido. He bids us farewell and disappears, but I wish I had asked for his name.
We attempt to get near the building selling a plethora of shrine paraphernalia, from talismans to bracelets, household charms and fans. There's definitely a crowd building, but rather than the expected tourists moving towards the shrine it's all Japanese and they seem to be forming lines either side of the main walkway, as though waiting for something. We wait a few minutes until a voice comes over a speaker system. We've got no idea what she's saying but she seems excited and it gets the crowd buzzing. The two lines solidify and people are ushered out of the main walkway. We wait for about ten minutes and peppy music plays over the speakers. It sounds like the intro to a kids TV show. Eventually the crowd goes silent and we can hear children coming towards us.
In bright yellow and orange vests pairs of children parade past us with their teachers and make their way to the steps of the shrine. With the kind of precision you would never get if this was English kids they all took their place and looked out towards the mass of people we now understood to be their excited parents waving and cheering. Once they were all assembled the speaker lady spoke, the peppy music played and in perfect unison the children sang along to the tune. I did some Googling and found the song they were singing, it was a Japanese folk song celebrating the festival of Setsubun.
Here's a link if you fancy a listen!
Bean Throwing （まめまき / Mamemaki）
From the video:
"The word “Setsubun” means “division of seasons,” and is around February 3. It used to indicate the day before the first day of each season, but now usually means the day before the first spring day according to the old lunar calendar (around February 3). On this day, there is a custom of throwing and scattering around roasted soybeans-- both inside and outside of the house-- saying “Get goblins out of the house! Invite happiness into the house!” The goblins in Japanese legends often have red or blue skin and two horns. It is also said that you can stay healthy if you eat the number of beans as your age."
After the kids had finished singing we heard roaring over the speaker, and the narrator sounded scared, throwing in a fake scream or two. Then two "demons" one red and one blue came out of the shrine and ran around the children brandishing giant swords. The lady on the speaker began a countdown with the whole crowd joining in, and once she hit "one" the kids let loose with the beans. They were loving it, and the demons ran around so they all got a chance to pelt them with beans. Eventually the demons admitted defeat and retreated back into the shrine while the children cheered. They sang the bean throwing song again and then got back into their lines and went out the way they had came, clutching their now empty wooden bean boxes. On the sides of the box was an etching of a pile of beans and a rooster, as it's the Chinese Zodiac year of the Rooster. As they passed they waved to everyone, and the most entertaining part were the kids who were surprised to see Oz and I in the crowd and would turn to their friends and point us out before waving at us. (we saw maybe 10 non Japanese people in the crowds total) it was a great piece of Japanese folklore to witness, and the fact that we stumbled across it made it that much better.
The crowds started dispersing and we were glad to get some fresh air, as we had been stood next to the giant incense burner for the best part of half an hour meaning we had been inhaling plumes of scented smoke. It's supposed to be fortunate to inhale the smoke to hopefully by inhaling a ton it'll cancel out my bad fortune? Either way I was glad to move away from it. As a side note my snot was black for the rest of the day, so there, that's a gross fact you know now.
Before we came to Japan we'd heard about Goshuin, temple seals that can be collected in a a dedicated book. Written in ink by a monk it details the shrine and the day that you visited. After some searching we found the building offering Goshuin, and we received our very first seals. Watching the monks paint with easy flourish was mesmerising, and through collecting the seals at all the temples and shrines we visited our Goshuin books quickly became one of our favorite souvenirs.
Having spent over an hour here we turned around and headed towards the main gate intending to make our way down the main road which apparently holds a number of shops and stalls worth browsing. We get midway to the gate when a group of kids come up to s brandishing a clipboard. They can't be more than 10 and they want to ask us some questions about our time in Japan. Sure, why not.
"Where are you from?"
"England"
"Ooh Harry Potter!"
"Yep, that England."
The questions continue innocently enough. We're not entirely sure if they're using their English or reading from the sheet but they're nice so we stay with them for a few minutes.
"How long are you here?"
"What is your favourite Japanese food?"
"How long have you been partners?"
They giggle when we say five years, and there seems to be a silent argument over who has to ask to next question, consisting mainly of pushing and insistent stares. We soon find out why.
"Um, are you married?"
We laugh as we tell them that no, we're not married.
Not sure if you've ever heard how the Japanese express shock, but it's basically a 2-3 second "Ehhhh?!" with extra seconds added, eyes widened further and higher intonation depending on the level of surprise. To the kids who just found out we're not married five years into a relationship I'd say we got a 3/5 on the "Ehhhh?!" scale. Guess they don't court for so long over in Japan.
That was the last of their questions, and the leader of the group thanks us for talking to them and hands us an origami crane as 'a symbol of friendship' which was pretty cute. We wave goodbye and laugh about their reactions. As we watch them go they run into another group of students in the same uniform. They point towards us and the second group starts walking towards us. It's too late, we've already made eye contact. There is no escape. 15 minutes and 4 more groups of students later (they kept daisy chaining, and the next group would wait to the side. Their reports are going to be super boring as they all got the same answers!) we escaped the gauntlet and walked down the road looking at all the shops resisting the urge to fill up our backpacks so early into the trip.
Spotting it in the distance we figured we could walk to the Tokyo Skytree, as we weren't in any hurry and it was such a nice day. Besides it meant we could really take in the city.
Famous. Last. Words.
Did I mention that we had an aircon/heater in our room? It was amazing, especially the fact that it didn't quite fit in the window properly so there were several gaps you could stick your hand through and wave to the outside world. Don't worry though because the gaps were plugged with blankets which definitely kept the February chill out. 100%. It's not even as though we could rely on each other's body heat and Ollie was in another bed on the other side of the room. Regretting our choice not to leave the heater on overnight (it was a tad noisy) I flicked it on and Googled the route to where we were going. Ollie woke up a little while later and were were ready to go by just after 7.
 |
| Perfectly sized for someone prone to losing things |
We left the apartment and purchased the dinkiest of train tickets and traveled to our first destination Sensō-ji, the most famous of Tokyo's many temples. We figured being early was a good thing, as most of the throngs of tourists and coach tours wouldn't have finished their breakfasts yet. It was a fifteen minute walk from the closest train station, and with it being so early many of the shops weren't open yet so we got to see beautifully painted screen covers depicting Samurai and Kabuki motifs.
 |
| I wish I could be this dramatic. |
 |
| Trying to find an angle without sunlight glaring was difficult! |
We also found this little guy down a side street, a white Shiba Inu who apparently gives you good luck if you stroke his tongue. I'll try anything for some luck.
Climbing the steps to the main shrine we admire the craftsmanship, noticing the ceilings have painted motifs of dragons and demons. Not wanting to interrupt the locals until we knew what we were supposed to do we stood to the side and lit a candle, and then decided to get our fortune by 'politely' shaking a container full of sticks until one falls out. You match the number on the stick to one of the many drawers, and claim the fortune on the piece of paper inside. Well I guess I wasn't polite enough because I got a 'bad' fortune telling me my wish would not be granted. Well screw you too, fortune stick.
The fortune read that "Water that does not flow stagnates, and the bird which does not fly loses its feathers and becomes weak." I decide to take it as a metaphor to keep changing and moving forward which takes the sting out of it a bit. Perhaps that's the point of bad fortunes.
We come back down the steps and we're greeted by an elderly gentleman with the fizziest white hair I've ever seen. We talk with him for a few minutes in a combination of broken English and Japanese and his brown toothed laugh is infectious every time one of us attempts to translate something using pantomime. He asks us where we're from assuming America, but grins wildly when we say England. Apparently he knows Brighton with its seaside palace which is unexpected. He wonders why we're here in February when it's so cold so we talk about the snow festival in Sapporo and he tells us to eat the seafood in Hokkaido. He bids us farewell and disappears, but I wish I had asked for his name.
We attempt to get near the building selling a plethora of shrine paraphernalia, from talismans to bracelets, household charms and fans. There's definitely a crowd building, but rather than the expected tourists moving towards the shrine it's all Japanese and they seem to be forming lines either side of the main walkway, as though waiting for something. We wait a few minutes until a voice comes over a speaker system. We've got no idea what she's saying but she seems excited and it gets the crowd buzzing. The two lines solidify and people are ushered out of the main walkway. We wait for about ten minutes and peppy music plays over the speakers. It sounds like the intro to a kids TV show. Eventually the crowd goes silent and we can hear children coming towards us.
In bright yellow and orange vests pairs of children parade past us with their teachers and make their way to the steps of the shrine. With the kind of precision you would never get if this was English kids they all took their place and looked out towards the mass of people we now understood to be their excited parents waving and cheering. Once they were all assembled the speaker lady spoke, the peppy music played and in perfect unison the children sang along to the tune. I did some Googling and found the song they were singing, it was a Japanese folk song celebrating the festival of Setsubun.Here's a link if you fancy a listen!
Bean Throwing （まめまき / Mamemaki）
From the video:
"The word “Setsubun” means “division of seasons,” and is around February 3. It used to indicate the day before the first day of each season, but now usually means the day before the first spring day according to the old lunar calendar (around February 3). On this day, there is a custom of throwing and scattering around roasted soybeans-- both inside and outside of the house-- saying “Get goblins out of the house! Invite happiness into the house!” The goblins in Japanese legends often have red or blue skin and two horns. It is also said that you can stay healthy if you eat the number of beans as your age."
After the kids had finished singing we heard roaring over the speaker, and the narrator sounded scared, throwing in a fake scream or two. Then two "demons" one red and one blue came out of the shrine and ran around the children brandishing giant swords. The lady on the speaker began a countdown with the whole crowd joining in, and once she hit "one" the kids let loose with the beans. They were loving it, and the demons ran around so they all got a chance to pelt them with beans. Eventually the demons admitted defeat and retreated back into the shrine while the children cheered. They sang the bean throwing song again and then got back into their lines and went out the way they had came, clutching their now empty wooden bean boxes. On the sides of the box was an etching of a pile of beans and a rooster, as it's the Chinese Zodiac year of the Rooster. As they passed they waved to everyone, and the most entertaining part were the kids who were surprised to see Oz and I in the crowd and would turn to their friends and point us out before waving at us. (we saw maybe 10 non Japanese people in the crowds total) it was a great piece of Japanese folklore to witness, and the fact that we stumbled across it made it that much better.
The crowds started dispersing and we were glad to get some fresh air, as we had been stood next to the giant incense burner for the best part of half an hour meaning we had been inhaling plumes of scented smoke. It's supposed to be fortunate to inhale the smoke to hopefully by inhaling a ton it'll cancel out my bad fortune? Either way I was glad to move away from it. As a side note my snot was black for the rest of the day, so there, that's a gross fact you know now.
 |
| Of course I got a Setsuban stamp! |
"Where are you from?"
"England"
"Ooh Harry Potter!"
"Yep, that England."
The questions continue innocently enough. We're not entirely sure if they're using their English or reading from the sheet but they're nice so we stay with them for a few minutes.
"How long are you here?"
"What is your favourite Japanese food?"
"How long have you been partners?"
They giggle when we say five years, and there seems to be a silent argument over who has to ask to next question, consisting mainly of pushing and insistent stares. We soon find out why.
"Um, are you married?"
We laugh as we tell them that no, we're not married.
Not sure if you've ever heard how the Japanese express shock, but it's basically a 2-3 second "Ehhhh?!" with extra seconds added, eyes widened further and higher intonation depending on the level of surprise. To the kids who just found out we're not married five years into a relationship I'd say we got a 3/5 on the "Ehhhh?!" scale. Guess they don't court for so long over in Japan.
That was the last of their questions, and the leader of the group thanks us for talking to them and hands us an origami crane as 'a symbol of friendship' which was pretty cute. We wave goodbye and laugh about their reactions. As we watch them go they run into another group of students in the same uniform. They point towards us and the second group starts walking towards us. It's too late, we've already made eye contact. There is no escape. 15 minutes and 4 more groups of students later (they kept daisy chaining, and the next group would wait to the side. Their reports are going to be super boring as they all got the same answers!) we escaped the gauntlet and walked down the road looking at all the shops resisting the urge to fill up our backpacks so early into the trip.
Spotting it in the distance we figured we could walk to the Tokyo Skytree, as we weren't in any hurry and it was such a nice day. Besides it meant we could really take in the city.
Famous. Last. Words.
 |
| Friendship Crane: prize of the student gauntlet |
 |
| Business Frog encourages you to always be hopping forward. Be like Business Frog. |
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