Hundreds gather for yummy Japanese festive tradition to break record

Japan has many seasonal traditions that are less known outside of the country.

One of them is "Ehomaki" - a thick, long sushi eaten just before the start of spring to wish for everyone's health and prosperity.

However, this spring, Japanese supermarket chain Belc hosted an Ehomaki event on a scale never heard of before.

In a bid to strengthen the relationship between the supermarket chain and its customers, Belc had attempted the record for the most people practicing Setsubun ehomaki-eating custom simultaneously.

For the event, the supermarket brought a variety of sushi rolls to suit people's tastes.

According to GWR guidelines, the ehomaki had to be eaten silently within 10 minutes while facing a certain direction. The direction differs year to year according to the Ehomaki tradition; this year, the crowd had faced towards west-southwest.

The view of hundreds of people eating a large sushi roll silently was certainly unique.

After the 10-minute attempt time was over, the official adjudicator and inspectors left the hall to count any disqualifications. The crowd waited in suspense.

After 30 minutes of deliberation, the adjudicator returned to the stage.

A new record had been achieved, with 311 people successfully eating the ehomaki correctly!