Février - Spring beginning
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, late January/early February marks the arrival of spring. In Japan, this event is celebrated with Setsubun, meaning ‘division of the seasons’ (節分). Various festivals take place across the country, where one can find the throwing of ‘roasted beans’ to drive away demons.
I had the chance to attend two festivals. The first took place at Zojo-ji Temple, where people dressed in traditional attire were throwing beans. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this festival. There were a huge crowd, and I tried to catch packs of roasted beans. They were also throwing other items such as towels, snacks, etc., and people were rushing to grab them. It left me with mixed feelings about this festival. I had the impression that, due to the event’s popularity, it had mostly become a commercial celebration and had lost much of its traditional essence.
I then went to the Tengu festival in Shimo-Kitazawa, organized since 1932. If I can recommend one festival, it’s definitely this one. Here, the demons are represented by tengu, characters from Japanese folklore. I was able to witness the parade that runs through part of the Shimo-Kitazawa neighborhood. Even though there were a lot of people, I had a great time. I took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite spots, near Shimo-Kitazawa, to admire Mount Fuji.
During the beginning of February, I had the chance to see Tokyo under the snow. If I understood correctly, it’s quite rare to have so much snow in Tokyo. Wanting to wait until the following morning to explore Tokyo under the snow, I didn’t go out in the evening. However, the next day, it was no longer snow but rain… I still went to the Sensō-ji Temple (photo 1 and 2) and Ueno Park.
I then visited the Yushima Shrine (photo 3) and the Hie Shrine (photo 4). Personally, I particularly enjoyed Yushima Shrine because in February, it’s plum blossom season, and this shrine has many of them.
During this month of February, I also visited for the first time the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, very famous for its many cherry trees. It’s probably the most well-known park in Tokyo.
