Hina Matsuri is the Japanese name for Girls’ Day Festival, which is held on the third of March.Families with girls display dolls in their home to pray for the health and happiness of young girls in Japan.

Today is Setsubun in Japan. It is held on the last day of winter, and they eat Ehoumaki (Fortune roll). It is believed that eating it in Setsubun is to bring fortune. People also eat beans as numbers as their age to pray for their happy and healthy life.

This is a traditional Japanese New Year’s dish called Osechi. It is like a bento-box that contains assortment of foods such as fish, beans and seaweed. They don’t use lobsters, but since lobsters are Nova Scotia’s specialty, I cooked grilled lobster and lobster tempra.