Living & Working in Ishikawa, Japan
Setsubun is February 3rd this year, and you’ve probably already seen ogre decorations in your school or ogre masks on sale at your local department store. Here’s a rundown of Setsubun traditions and events in Ishikawa.
First off, what is Setsubun? Setsubun is actually a bit of a misnomer, as the name 節分 just means “seasonal divide” and refers to the midpoint in between solstices and equinoxes as determined by the classical Chinese lunisolar calendar. There are actually four setsubun in a year: 立春 (risshun, spring setsubun, February 4th), 立夏 (rikka, summer setsubun, May 5th), 立秋 (risshuu, fall setsubun, August 7th) , and 立冬 (rittou, winter setsubun, November 7th). In the classical Chinese lunisolar calendar, these dates–not the solstices and equinoxes themselves–are considered to be the beginning of the new season. Of these four, only the spring setsubun is a major festival in Japan, so the term stuck to that day.
Traditionally, Setsubun was a time to celebrate the end of the coldest period of winter and a time to drive away any lingering bad luck. The most famous Setsubun tradition is 豆撒き (mamemaki), throwing beans to cast out evil spirits and purify the home. Some homes with children choose a family member to wear an ogre mask and throw beans at them, yelling 「福は内、鬼は外!」(fuku wa uchi, oni wa soto, good luck in, demons out!) and slamming the door behind them when they inevitably run away.
Shrines will have similar Setsubun festivities where visitors can purchase beans to throw at volunteers in ogre masks. Sardine heads and boughs of holly act as a further deterrent for bad spirits, and visitors can pick up any protection or luck charms they might have forgotten at New Year’s.
In recent years, supermarkets and convenience stores throughout Japan have picked up the Osaka tradition* of selling 恵方巻 (ehoumaki, whole sushi rolls) at Setsubun. Eating the whole roll in silence while facing the given year’s chosen direction is said to grant good luck.
Interested in seeing some Setsubun festivities but don’t have access to a household full of small Japanese children to throw beans at? Kanazawa’s Utasu Jinja has a Setsubun Festival every year. The geisha and maiko of Kanazawa’s Higashi Chaya district perform a fan dance at this festival and then throw blessed beans to the crowd so visitors can take them home for luck.
What: Utasu Shrine Setsubun Festival 宇多須神社節分祭り
When: Sunday February 3, 2013.
13:00 Sake tasting
14:00 Setsubun matsuri opening ceremony
14:30 Geisha performance (fan dance)
15:00 Bean-throwing ceremony
Where: Utasu Shrine, Higashi Chaya, Kanazawa
Getting There: From Kanazawa station, take the Loop Bus to the Hashibachou Kouban-mae stop (橋場町交番前), L6. The shrine is a 5 minute (and very scenic!) walk away.
Walking directions from the bus stop:
Experience Kanazawa has more details about the festival here.
If your town has an awesome Setsubun festival, please comment with info!
福は内、鬼は外！
Starting to feel the cold? It’s been a (relatively) mild winter so far, but Ishikawa snow and storms can last through March. Brace yourselves–winter’s still here.
Staying Warm
SnJ Guide to Winterizing Your Japanese Apartment
Kerosene Heaters: How to Use Them and How to Clean and Store Them
Energy-saving Tips for Staying Warm
Staying Healthy and Happy
Lifehacker on Avoiding the Winter Blues
Flu Prevention from the CDC
Life Outside the Kotatsu
Driving in Winter in Japan: common sense articles from Fukuoka JET and Japan Info Swap
Upcoming Festivals and Events (Japanese)
Hakusan Snowman Festival, Feb. 8th t0 10th, 2013. If you contact the Hakusan International Association by January 31st, you can reserve a spot on a special tour bus for foreign residents and visitors. The cost of the bus tour is 1,000 yen. See the 2013 Snowman Festival Tour Flyer for details.
Foodies of Ishikawa, you’re in for a treat! Yuka Kokon is offering a class next week at Noppo kun restaurant about how to make and season foods with salt koji, an Ishikawa specialty. What is salt koji, you may ask? Koji is a trendy fermented seasoning (like miso) made of steamed rice and the same fermenting agent used in sake and soy sauce.
In this class, you will be taught how to make your own salt koji and also how to use salt koji in other recipes.
Class Information
When: Thursday, January 24th, from 10 am to 12:30 pm.
Where: Noppo kun Restaurant and Natural Foods Market in Nonoichi
石川県野々市市本町2-1-24
Cost: 2,500 yen. This includes lunch!
Contact: koji.seminar(at)gmail.com
The organizer of this event is English-proficient and will be on-hand during the demonstration. Both the chef and the organizer are excited to share this little-known specialty with Ishikawa’s foreign residents, so even if you can’t attend, pass word along!
Salt Koji Cooking Seminar (ENG)
The recent (though comparatively not severe) earthquake in Touhoku is a wakeup call for disaster preparedness here in Ishikawa. Here’s a quick roundup of earthquake and emergency posts and helpful websites.
Your CO should have provided you with a map to the nearest evacuation center. If you have not received this, take this as a good chance to ask.
News and Info in English
Preparedness
Earthquake Warnings via Yahoo!Keitai
Ishikawa JET Wiki General Emergency Page
72hours.org Emergency Kit planning site is a good resource if you have not yet assembled an emergency kit in your apartment.
If you do not already have an emergency kit made, please do so. Ishikawa is relatively disaster-free as far as Japan goes, but it never hurts to be ready.
Saturday September 1st is the annual iJET Uchinada Beach Party. ALTs from all over the prefecture (and beyond!) gather to end their summer vacations in style. This promises to be one of the best AJET events yet, so don’t miss out!
Beach party line-up
Beach sports and BBQs from 2pm
Group photos at 6pm
Fireworks at 7pm (AJET is providing some fireworks, but you can also bring your own. Also, be safe.)
Live music from 8pm
DJs from 10pm
There is a huge supermarket next to the beach where you can stock up on BBQ and picnic supplies. On the beach there are some restaurants and bars with burgers and thai food.
Transportation information and further firework/jellyfish warnings below the jump!
Everyone told you to get a smartphone for your Ishikawa JET tenure, but whether you’re running iOS or Android, your phone is only as useful as the apps you put on it. Here are some recommendations to get you started or to make your life a little easier.
For Both Android and iPhone
Yurekuru Call (EN and JP, free). An earthquake warning app. Uses your location and your phone’s notification system to give you up to a minute’s warning before an earthquake is projected to hit your area. Highly recommended–it may be the only English language warning you get.
Japan Goggles (EN, free). This nifty app uses your smartphone camera to recognize and translate kanji words. It might take a moment for the app to recognize the right kanji compound, but it’s still incredibly helpful.
iConnect (EN, free) Published by AJET, this app is a converter, phrasebook, directory, and national event guide all in one! If you miss the JET Diary, this app is for you.
Ishikawa Travel Guide (EN, Free). Uses Google Maps to show you nearby sights throughout Ishikawa. Unfortunately, the gourmet list is lacking, but the list of sightseeing spots and activities is comprehensive. Good for exploring a new part of the prefecture!
北鉄バスビュワー Hokutetsu Bus Viewer (JP, free). Japanese language bus route-finder and schedule for buses all around the prefecture. Allows you to bookmark your favorite bus routes. It can also use your current location to find nearby bus stops.
乗換案内 by Jorudan (Free, JP). Japanese only. A nationwide train route finder and schedule. Recognizes romaji place name input. Includes a Live feature that notes train delays. The paid version, 乗換案内プラス (norikae-annai plus), is 630 yen in both stores and allows you to save routes.
EnjoyLearning Japan Map Puzzle (Free, JP). Want to get 上手 (jouzu) at Japanese geography and prefecture names? This drag and drop prefecture map game will help. It includes hiragana readings of the prefecture names, too.
Platform-specific apps are after the jump!
Love beer and looking for something to do instead of–or in addition to–the Fire and Violence Festival this weekend? Toyama city hosts an annual Tanabata Craft Beer Festa every July, featuring hard-to-find microbrews from all over Japan–including Ishikawa’s own Nihonkai Club! Over 20 breweries from Hokuriku and beyond will be pouring cold ones Saturday and Sunday, so toss your Asahi aside and hop a northbound train!
The festival operates on a ticket system. You pay for a glass, entry, and a set of 5 or 10 tickets in advance at a conbini (details to follow). Should you want more beer, you can add tickets at the event.
INFORMATION:
When:
Saturday July 7 from 11:30 to 8:30 and Sunday July 8 from 11:30 to 6:30.
Where:
Toyama City, Grand Plaza Ferio. (Japanese Address 富山市総曲輪フェリオ横広場)
From Toyama Station
Toyama Streetcar: Loop Line (kanjuu-sen) to Grand Plaza-mae stop. (Japanese: 富山地方鉄道市内電車 環状線
『グランドプラザ前』下車前)
Bus: Maidohaya Bus Chuo Route, Sougawa Doori Toukengai stop. (Japanese: まいどはやバス中央ルート
『総曲輪通り商店街口』）
Walking: 20 minutes from the station.
Cost and Ticketing:
You can purchase tickets from most major combini. Event codes are as follows: Lawson L-code 59432, Circle K and 7-11 P-code 987-746. For Family Mart, use e-plus.
Prices are as follows:
★プレミアム手作りグラス付10枚券引換券（3,700円）
Premium handmade glass plus 10 beer tickets.
★オリジナルグラス付10枚券（3,600円）
Original glass plus 10 tickets.
★オリジナルグラス付5枚券（2,200円）
Original glass plus 5 tickets.
Happy Tanabata everyone, and may all your wishes come true!
–
Lauren is a second-year ALT in Komatsu. Her tanabata wish last year was for a greater variety of beer in her life. She is an editor of this blog.
Let’s rock.
It is a cruel fact of life in Japan that the more you want to open all the windows in your apartment, the more the bugs want to come inside. This is a field guide to insects you may encounter, what to do when you encounter them, and how to encounter them less often in the future.
For convenience’s sake, we’ve sorted them into generic home pests, bugs you may see while out and about, and three that might land you in the hospital.
Throughout the article we also have pictures of helpful products and bug specimens. If you happen to have your own product recommendations or stories of creepy crawly terror, do share in the comments.
So, grab some bug spray and let’s dive on in!
Neighborhood cafes in Ishikawa can, unfortunately, be really hit or miss. Apart from the big chains like Mister Donuts or Starbucks, most of the coffee shops you’ll find are traditional kissaten. At best these are comfy hole-in-the-walls with quirky brewing techniques. At worst they are filled with old floral prints, cigarette smoke, and clientele upwards of fifty who really aren’t sure what you’re doing there.
These two cafes in Komatsu are hidden treasures. Baisenshitsu (焙煎室) is a cozy nook for coffee purists, while Komatsu Recycle Book Library is great for those of you looking for somewhere a little more eclectic. Both spots are fairly quiet and are great places to study, work, or just have a little time away from home.
Read more of this post
So you’re coming to Ishikawa and you’re trying to decide what to do about transportation. Here are a few general tips, and a few more specific ones for those who will definitely be driving, on what to expect.
Go, drive free! And check back here in August for more information about rules of the road, car maintenance and obtaining a Japanese license.
Upcoming Events
