Setsubun 節分

In the past, Japan used to celebrate the coming of Spring on the 4th of February, an event called Risshun 立春, "the standing up of Spring". Every kid knows that in order to proceed to a new thing in life, open a new page of the new year, you first have to get rid of the darkness who might pursue you from the whirlpools of the past. That is why it is advised to knock the poor Oni 鬼 demons with a handful of roasted beans, to throw the grains at the sinner or rather sin-teaser as violently as possible, so that the bastard wouldn't think of coming back. This event, held on the Spring's (and actually whenever seasons change, but this one is the most famous) faultline is called Setsubun 節分。
The custom orders (according to what the author have heard) the MOM of the house to disguise into Kami 神 god (the big happy face) and the DAD of the household into the demon mentioned above (the ugly red face). Then everyone tells the red face to kindly get the hell out of their lives for the next year.
Safe and sound, each member of the celebrating family eats as many beans as many Springs he have already seen in his life travel trough these Japanese islands plus one for the sake of the coming year.

The photo displays a rather spicy or salty cracker called osembei 御煎餅 which is being used by devouring all year long. It is only the occasional design that differs now.
Ijô desu. 以上です。 That's all folks.

Osembei, the cracker.

Inside these intricate wrappings shaped into a citrus the lucky can discover yuzu (a citrus slightly similar to a mandarin) – shrimp, delicate cracker (below). Its usual quality involves an utmost lightness which results in outstanding taste and sensation impressions.

Yuki. Snow. Śnieg.

The winter has come for good. Not quite invited, low temperatures rushed into our nights leaving us with some white foam this morning. Nobody in Tokyo believed in snow any more. Those who kept their faith were singled out. Nevertheless.

This young lady saw the phenomenon of snow falling from the shy for the first time in her entire life. She did catch a glimpse of it before, but then it was silently placed on the ground. On the contrary, today I was roaring down on the Earth with a varying speed, size and noise. The young lady, called Josiane, reported of her great surprise on stepping out of her apartment. At first she thought the snowflakes were ashes and that there was a big fire somewhere close.

The local Shinto shrine lion displayed his discontentment of the precipitations by the flabbiness of his ears.

Where art thy?

Winter, for a change. Photos by Kasia P.

Ostrzyce, Kaszuby, Poland

Puck. A day in summer.

It was quite a day. Justyna. A summer day of a nature of plait. Not exactly warm, thought definitely summerish. It could already smell the scent of Japan as well as the aroma of London. New things that have never seen the sea from this angle appeared.