Setsubun
On Feb 2-3, everyone celebrates Setsubun to usher in good luck for the new year. People dressed as demons are chased around and pelted with dried soybeans by everyone else, who are busy shouting things like, “Out with the bad luck, in with the good!” It’s also the holiday on which they sell big fat good-luck sushi rolls at every corner conbini.
Best places to celebrate:
•
Kimono-Dyeing Festival (Some-no-Komichi)
The cloth dyeing district of Tokyo sponsors a great event called Some-no-komichi at the end of January, where miles of canals are festooned with lengths of gorgeous kimono cloth
Search terms: nakai some-no-komichi
•
Funeral for a Pin (Hari kuyō ceremony)
Ever been to a memorial for pins and needles? You should. Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa performs a ceremony every year on Feb 8 to honorably retire pins and needles instead of throwing them away. Those who make a living by stitching bring them to the temple to thank the tools of their trade for a lifetime of faithful service.
Search terms: sensoji hari kuyo
•
Plum Blossom Season
Plum blossoms begin wafting their sweet scent and bursting with blooms from late Feb to mid-March. Red ones, white ones, pink ones, weeping ones. Here’s where to see the best plum blossom groves in Tokyo
•
If you enjoyed this, subscribe!
Get all the latest Japan travel tips and tricks for free ヽ(*＾ω＾*)ﾉ
And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 