[b]Ehoumaki[/b] (恵方巻き, lit. "[[ehou|Lucky-Direction]] [[Makizushi]]") refers to the custom in the Kansai region of eating a [i]futomaki[/i] (a type of [[sushi]]) on the evening of [[Setsubun]] (February 3rd) while facing "Ehou" (the lucky direction that changes according to the year) or to the [[makizushi]] itself. Much like [[Valentine]]'s Day chocolate, it is almost a man-made custom spread by promotional activities of concerned bodies for reasons purely related to profit and sales.

In the 1970s, it spread through the Kansai region thanks to [[nori (seaweed)|nori]] distributors/wholesalers and [[sushi]] shops, and in the 2000s, it spread throughout Japan thanks to the [[convenience store]] industry. In other words, this custom is very new to places outside of Kansai.

h4. See also

* [[cake]] (Recently, roll cakes are being sold as opportunistic products on Setsubun.)
* [[Setsubun]]
* [[Tag Group:Food Tags]]
* [[Tag Group:Holidays and Celebrations]]
恵方巻き 恵方巻