Setsubun 2026: Your Guide to Japan's Demon-Banishing Bean Festival

Every February 3rd, something wonderfully strange happens across Japan. Children chase their fathers around the house, pelting them with roasted soybeans. Office workers eat entire sushi rolls in complete silence while facing southwest. And at the entrance of countless homes, you'll find sardine heads impaled on holly branches, their glassy eyes staring outward.

Welcome to Setsubun (節分)—one of Japan's most beloved, bizarre, and genuinely fun cultural traditions.

At The Japanist, we believe that understanding Japan's seasonal rituals is the key to experiencing the country on a deeper level. While cherry blossoms get all the international attention, Setsubun offers something arguably more authentic: a window into the playful, superstitious, and community-driven heart of Japanese culture.

What is Setsubun?

The word Setsubun literally means "seasonal division." It marks the day before Risshun (立春), the first day of spring according to the traditional Japanese lunar calendar. While the old calendar had four Setsubun (one before each season), the spring Setsubun became the most significant because it represented the boundary between the old year and the new.

2026 Date: February 3rd (Monday)

Think of Setsubun as Japan's spiritual spring cleaning. Just as you might air out your home after a long winter, Setsubun is about expelling the accumulated bad luck, evil spirits, and negative energy of the past year to make room for fresh fortune.

The Main Event: Mamemaki (Bean Throwing)

The heart of Setsubun is mamemaki (豆撒き, "bean scattering")—and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.

How It Works

1. The Beans: Roasted soybeans called fukumame (福豆, "fortune beans") are used. The roasting is important—raw beans might sprout, symbolically allowing evil to "take root."

1. The Demon: Someone in the household (traditionally the father) dons an oni (demon/ogre) mask. In some regions, the toshiotoko (年男, the man born in that year's zodiac sign) performs the throwing instead.

1. The Chant: While throwing beans at the "demon," everyone shouts:

"Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!"

(鬼は外! 福は内!)

"Demons out! Fortune in!"

1. The Slam: After driving the oni outside, the door is slammed shut to prevent evil from returning.

1. The Eating: Finally, everyone eats the number of beans equal to their age (plus one for good luck in the coming year). If you're 35, that's 36 beans—which becomes increasingly challenging as you get older.

The Watanabe Exception

Here's a fun cultural footnote: families with the surname Watanabe (渡辺) traditionally don't need to throw beans. Why? Because the legendary samurai Watanabe no Tsuna was so fearsome in defeating the oni Ibaraki-dōji during the Heian period that demons have allegedly avoided anyone named Watanabe ever since. With over 1 million Watanabes in Japan, that's a lot of bean savings.

The Silent Sushi Roll: Ehomaki

If mamemaki is Setsubun's action movie, ehomaki (恵方巻, "lucky direction roll") is its meditative art film.

What Is It?

Ehomaki is a thick, uncut sushi roll—essentially a giant futomaki—eaten in its entirety on Setsubun night. The catch? You must:

1. Face the "lucky direction" of the year (eho, determined by the zodiac)
2. Eat the entire roll without speaking
3. Not cut it (cutting would "sever" your good fortune)
4. Make a wish while eating

2026 Lucky Direction: South-Southwest (南南西)

For Setsubun 2026, the auspicious direction is south-southwest. Grab your compass (or smartphone), find your bearing, and prepare for the most contemplative sushi experience of your life.

The Marketing Genius Behind Ehomaki

While the tradition has roots in Osaka's geisha districts from the Edo period, the modern ehomaki phenomenon is largely thanks to convenience store marketing. In 1989, 7-Eleven Japan began aggressively promoting the regional custom nationwide. Today, ehomaki sales have become a multi-billion-yen industry, with convenience stores, supermarkets, and sushi restaurants competing to create increasingly elaborate (and expensive) rolls.

The standard ehomaki contains seven ingredients, representing the Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin): - Cucumber - Kanpyo (dried gourd) - Shiitake mushrooms - Tamagoyaki (sweet egg) - Unagi or anago (eel) - Denbu (sweet fish flakes) - Sakura denbu or shrimp

The Sardine Guardian: Hiiragi Iwashi

Perhaps the most visually striking Setsubun tradition is hiiragi iwashi (柊鰯)—a sardine head skewered on a holly branch, hung at the entrance of homes.

Why Sardines and Holly?

The logic is beautifully practical in a supernatural way: - The smell of the roasted sardine head repels oni (demons have sensitive noses, apparently) - The thorns of the holly leaves poke the eyes of any demon foolish enough to approach

This combination creates what amounts to a DIY demon security system. The tradition dates back to the Heian period and is still practiced in many parts of Japan, particularly in the Kansai region.

Where to Experience Setsubun in 2026

While Setsubun is primarily a household celebration, major shrines and temples hold spectacular public ceremonies that are absolutely worth attending.

Top Setsubun Events

Pro Tips for Shrine Visits

1. Arrive early. Popular temples see tens of thousands of visitors. Get there at least 2-3 hours before the main ceremony.

1. Wear layers. February 3rd is still deep winter in Japan. You'll be standing outside for extended periods.

1. Bring a bag. Beans (and sometimes prizes, money envelopes, or snacks) are thrown into the crowd. A small bag helps you catch your fortune.

1. Check schedules. Most shrines hold multiple ceremonies throughout the day. Evening ceremonies tend to be less crowded.

Regional Variations

Like many Japanese traditions, Setsubun has fascinating regional twists:

Tohoku & Hokkaido: Peanuts Instead of Soybeans

In northern Japan, peanuts (often still in their shells) replace soybeans. The practical reasoning? They're easier to find and clean up afterward, and in snowy regions, shells stand out better against the white ground.

Aizuwakamatsu: The Battle Cry

In this Fukushima city, the chant changes to the more aggressive:

"Oni no medama buttsubuse!"

(鬼の目玉ぶっつぶせ!)

"Crush the demon's eyeballs!"

San'in Region: Whale Meat

In parts of Tottori and Shimane prefectures, eating whale meat on Setsubun is traditional, believed to bring large-scale good fortune.

Shikoku: Konjac

The gelatinous konjac (konnyaku) is eaten to "cleanse" the body of accumulated impurities from the past year.

The Deeper Meaning: Seasonal Living

Beyond the beans and sushi rolls, Setsubun represents something fundamental to Japanese culture: seasonal consciousness.

Japan's traditional calendar was intimately tied to nature's rhythms. Setsubun marked not just a date, but a threshold—a liminal moment when the boundaries between worlds were thinner, when transition was possible, and when active participation in one's own fortune was required.

In our modern, climate-controlled, globally connected world, such seasonal awareness has largely faded. But Setsubun persists, adapted and commercialized perhaps, but still carrying that core message: life moves in cycles, and each new phase deserves to be welcomed intentionally.

When you throw those beans—whether at a shrine ceremony or in your apartment kitchen—you're not just performing a quaint custom. You're participating in a 1,300-year-old ritual of hope, renewal, and the very human desire to start fresh.

Setsubun 2026: Quick Reference

For Travelers: Making the Most of Setsubun

If you're visiting Japan in early February, Setsubun offers an incredible opportunity to experience authentic Japanese culture that most tourists miss.

Where to Stay

For temple ceremonies, consider staying near the action:

- Tokyo: Hotels in Asakusa put you walking distance from Sensoji Temple's famous ceremony - Kyoto: The Gion district offers proximity to both Yasaka Shrine and the geisha performances - Narita: Many travelers pass through anyway—extend your layover and catch the spectacular Naritasan festival

What to Buy

Every convenience store and supermarket will be stocked with Setsubun goods: - Fukumame bags (roasted soybeans in festive packaging) - Oni masks (paper or plastic demon masks for family fun) - Ehomaki (pre-made or DIY kits)

The Language

Impress locals with these Setsubun phrases: - "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" — The bean-throwing chant - "Kotoshi no eho wa dochira desu ka?" — "Which is this year's lucky direction?" - "Fukumame o kudasai" — "Roasted beans, please"

Final Thoughts

Setsubun won't make headlines like cherry blossom season or autumn foliage. There are no UNESCO recognitions or viral Instagram moments. But that's precisely why it matters.

This is Japan at its most authentic—families laughing as dad dodges soybeans, office workers sneaking bites of sushi while checking their compass apps, grandmothers hanging sardine heads with the same care their grandmothers did generations before.

Whether you throw beans at imaginary demons in your Tokyo apartment or brave the crowds at Sensoji, may your 2026 be filled with fuku (fortune) and free of oni (demons).

Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!

References & Resources

• Japan Guide: Setsubun
• JNTO: Setsubun Traditions
• Sensoji Temple Official Site
• Yasaka Shrine Official Site