節分 - せつぶん - Setsubun

節分, or the Bean Throwing Festival, is a ceremony that occurs on the 3rd of February each year. This is the last day of Winter according to the Chinese calendar, the 4th being 立春 (りっしゅん - risshun) - the first day of Spring.

It didn't feel very springy to me when I headed out, but I pulled on my coat and braved the cold anyway. Setsubun is not a public holiday, but it is quite a significant part of the Japanese calendar and a lot of shrines have special events throughout the day and evening. For that reason, I caught the train out to one of Kobe's three big shrines and spent an evening with the ogres.