Boys' Day carp

Today is Boys' Day in Japan.  In some of the larger homes homes samurai armor replica will be displayed in the formal alcoves but in my area the farmlands are dotted with colorful flying carp banners.

Hmmm.  I didn't get a very good picture of the flying carp at this solitary house set up against the forest and fields but you get the idea.  Usually there will be four or five flying carp in various colors and sizes and I've heard that there is supposed to be an order to what color flies on top.

Tetsu and I were coming home from somewhere when I spotted this beautiful display of twenty or more carp flying over the fields.  Tetsu let me out of the car to take pictures.  The wind was strong and the carp were flapping horizontally in the sky.  Quite often there will be a beautiful array of carp at a farmhouse but lacking wind the banners just hang on top of each other not being very picturesque.  For picture taking, a windy day is great!

But I guess too much wind can be a problem too.  As Tetsu and I watched, three or four people ran out of the farmhouse and started bringing down the carp before the cording broke and they flew off into the sky.  One man was reeling in the cording, another man was keeping the carp from falling into the flooded rice fields.

A wife came running out too and she was rolling up the landed carp.  Quite a job!  The carp were probably set in a shed for the night and put up again the next morning.  If they've got such a display and a wonderful place to fly them I'm sure the farmers want to put these out for as long as possible during Golden Week!