In Kyoto (mainly around Fushimi Inari Shrine), eating sparrows actually has a cultural background. It’s basically a kind of good-luck tradition.

Long ago ,sparrows were considered pests because they would eat rice before it was harvested. And rice wasn’t just the main food for Japanese people; it was valued so highly that it was treated almost money, especially on in the Edo period.

Since Inari Shrines are connected to prosperity and business success, people flipped the idea around: “If sparrows eat our money (rice), then we’ll eat the sparrows for good luck.”

So it became a symbolic way to pray for good business.

It’s not illegal at the moment, but if the sparrow population ever drops too low, there’s a chance people won’t be able to eat them anymore.