Spring Has Come...

Or so they say. Yesterday, I had a partially comprehensible conversation with some of my fellow teachers about a Japanese custom. Every February 2nd, the old traditionalists throw fried soybeans out their front door, to ward off oni (particularly Japanese "demons" of a sort). Apparently, the sound of crackling soy beans scares the monsters out of the corners of the house, and throwing the beans chases them out into the street.
...Admittedly, it sounds pretty far-fetched. But, take a similarly discerning view of, say, Easter and you'll come to the same conclusion: A man was killed, came back from the dead, and to celebrate we eat chocolate and eggs that a giant rabbit hides around our yard. It's best to be as understanding as possible when confronted with new cultural customs, I find, lest my own come under such scrutiny.
Anyway, after the ceremony of cooking and throwing the beans (which happens on Feb. 2nd), the next day is considered the beginning of Spring. And, to tell the truth, it has felt a lot like spring here. That is...if it ever felt like winter at all. Still, many teachers and principals are commenting to me lately about a certain "Spring feeling," and the principal at today's school gave me a run down of "ri-shun" (literally "stand up, spring"), as today is called.
As I mentioned, it never exactly felt like winter. That is to say, that it never once snowed, and the temperature only dipped below freezing a handful of times. While that may sound like an almost tropical paradise, remember that insulation and heating in home and school is not exactly as highly regarded in Japan.

So, I made it through the winter, and I stand at the mouth of the rising spring. I suppose that makes two seasons down, two to go, right? In the same vein, only two days remain of my elementary school visits. I'm amazed that I have come through this gauntlet of kancho and crying 6 year olds more or less unscathed.
Although, I have become quite ill lately. And that's not a fun way to spend a couple of days at the elementary schools, even if they are my last for a while.

Spring, arise!