Our friend, Chiaki, invited us to go to the Shinto shrine to participate in the traditional activities to prepare for spring. We first biked to the shrine behind Himeji Castle where we just missed the celebration. But Chiaki managed to convince the devil to put his mask back on so 4 year old RJ could throw beans at him.
We hurried onto another shrine where our timing was better. When we arrived, the community leaders were inside the shrine, possibly receiving some sort of sacriment (we're not really sure). When they finished, they came out to the walkway of the shrine where they begin to throw mochi (remember, that is the pounded rice we made last weekend) and little packages of soybeans. Everyone in the crowd used bags or their hats to catch these things. It was a lot of fun as everyone got into the spirit! I caught only three packets of soybeans and one mochi because I was going crazy with the camera! I even took a little video. Please enjoy! By the way, we were instructed to eat one soybean for each year of our life. For good luck, of course.
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