As anyone who has webcam chatted with me recently will know, I’ve amassed a fairly decent collection of paper masks depicting various Japanese demon-faces. This is not just a mere J.J. eccentricity, the things are actually special holiday decorations for the Japanese day known as “Setsubun.” No one has been able to translate “Setsbun” to my satisfaction, but basically it means something along the lines of “get evil spirits out of your house day.”

Along with hanging demon masks everywhere, the highlight of Setsubun is throwing beans at your father. Yes, it’s true. The supermarkets sell these little packages of special freeze-dried beans, and on February 3, the whole family (sans dad) gathers in the living room. Then mom says “uh oh, I think I hear some sort of demon coming!” Then dad lumbers in, wearing one of the demon masks. He prances around in a comical manner, and the children squeal with delight and heave beans at him, yelling “Evil out! Evil out!” until he finally leaves the house.

Then “real dad” returns, and everyone gathers up the beans. Then you eat as many beans as you are years old, so dad eats 43, junior eats seven, mom eats 21, etc. And that’s about it. I think there’s also a part where they throw beans out the window too, or something. The whole ritual is a symbolic way to usher bad vibes out of your house for the coming year. They’re big into the idea of symbolic “fresh starts” in this country. It’s also the reason why one of the most respected New Year’s eve traditions is vaccuuming.

At the school where I teach I am often told that Japanese children like me because I’m an adult male who shows interest in their lives, which is appreciated because many Japanese kids lack such a father figure. Their actual fathers work extremely long hours, and are rarely seen. And when they are seen, it’s in the form of embodying devil spirits who must be driven from their home, which I am sure isn’t great for the ol’ Freudian complex either.
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