Bean Throwing (and Catching) for Setsubun
それぞれのスーパーは玄関で豆を売り出しています。
鬼の面が付いている豆。
節分が近付いているとの事！
皆さんの町で豆撒きはどこでなされているか分かりませんが、この戸倉上山田温泉では温泉街の上の善光寺別院のお寺さんで行われています。
戸倉上山田温泉の豆撒き及び冬・早春のイベントを紹介します；
節分（豆撒き）＠善光寺大本願別院 2月3日（金）
年男や芸子さん、政治家がお寺の裏の駐車場で豆をまきます。（亀清旅館から歩いて25分）
灯明祭（ライトアップ） ＠善光寺・長野市 2月11-19日
善光寺は五輪の色でライトアップされ、参道が行燈通りになる。（亀清から車で約60分；電車は戸倉―長野駅間25分）
節分草（花） ＠戸倉駅の上の天狗公園 ３月中旬～下旬
可愛いらしい小さな白い花の真中に黄色と紫のカラフルな部分があって、うんと綺麗です。この珍しい花は写真家に人気あります。戸倉節分草を育てる会が一所懸命守っていますので年々に見に来る方が増えています。
（亀清旅館から車で約１０分。戸倉駅から歩いて約１０分）
森「杏の里」のあんず祭 ４月３日～１５日
今年で５７回目になる千曲市の大イベントです。杏の花の薄いピンクに、農村の落ち着いた雰囲気の合わせがポイントです。戸倉駅の上に登る道が秘密の近道です。
（亀清旅館から車で約２５分。屋代駅からシャットルバスで１０分。）
イースターフェスティバルin戸倉上イやまだ温泉 ４月７日（予定）
千曲国際交流協会の提供で、子供達の為のイベントです。千曲川沿いの噴水公園の周辺でお菓子入りのプラスチック玉子が隠されて、子供たちがガーっと探すと言う遊びです。他のゲームもあります。馬車も来る予定です！これはまた、実行委員長が私です。詳しくは私まで@亀清でお電話をどうぞ。
上山田の知識寺の春祭り ４月１７日（火）
地元のお寺さんの地元の、伝統的な式。お寺は茅葺屋根との歴史的な建物で、この儀式こそ昔からです。
我々上山田神楽保存会の獅子舞も！
（亀清旅館から車で５分、歩いて１５分。）
Grocery stores throughout the country are prominently displaying beans for sale.
Beans packaged with 'oni' goblin masks.
'Tis tims for Setsubun, the 'season-between-the-seasons', or the day in between the winter solstice and spring equinox. What this entails is a bean-throwing ceremony where people shout 'Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi' which basically means "Bad luck out, good luck in".
Households as well as communities around the country hold such ceremonies. Here in our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada, the temple at the top of the hill behind town, the Zenkoji Branch Temple, holds our area's biggest bean throwing. All the men of an age a multiple of 12, as well as some of the geisha and a few politicians stand on the balcony and throw beans mixed with prizes to the people gathered below.
Info on that as well as other events coming up for the Togura-Kamiyamada area are as follows.
Setsubun @ Zenkoji Branch Temple, Feb. 3 (Fri.)
Flying beans and presents. Temple is a 25 min. walk up the hill behind Kamesei Ryokan.
Tomyo Festival @ Zenkoji (Nagano City) Feb. 11-19
Nagano City's venerable Zenkoji Temple lit up in the Olympic colors. The cobblestone street main approach is also decorated with hundreds of andon lanterns.
From Kamesei by car 60 minutes, or by train 25 min. from Togura Station to Nagano Station.
Setsubunsou Flowers (Togura Tengu Park) Mid to Late March
The cutest little white wildflowers, with pretty yellow and purple centers, bloom in a section of the hillside next to Tengu Park above Togura Station. They bloom after the snow cover melts, and attract many an avid photographer.
10 minutes by car from Kamesei Ryokan, 10 minutes on foot from Togura Station.
Apricot Blossoms, Mori "Apricot Vilage" Early to Mid April
This year's Apricot Blossom Festival will be held from April 3rd to the 15th in quaint, rural Mori. One of Chikuma City's signature events. The delicate light pink color of the apricot blossoms are spread out among the farmhouses in this rural valley.
25 minutes by car from Kamesei / Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, or 10 minutes by shuttle bus from Yashiro Station.
Easter Festival in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, April 7th (tentative)
Me and some fellow foreigners share our culture with the local children, with a huge, 1000-egg Easter egg hunt at the Fountain Park along the Chikuma River here in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen. Egg-related games and free horse buggy rides.
Chishiki-ji Temple's Spring Festival 4/17
A decidedly local traditional festival at a decidedly local temple. Absolutely 100% not touristy. Which makes it absolutetly 100% interesting for tourists from overseas, because it is a glimpse at local culture in rural Japan. I'll be there playing my flute with my fellow members of the Kamiyamada Lion Dance group.
5 minutes by car from Kamesei / Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, or 15 minutes on foot.
善光寺の灯明祭 Zenkoji's Tomyo Festival
