Golden Week has started in Japan with Saturday being a day off. Monday and Tuesday are regular days again but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are holidays again. We celebrated the start of Golden week by eating breakfast outside yesterday morning and then going to look for flying carp kites in the countryside. Boys' Day is May 5th.
There weren't as many carp out as we expected... In the city it is hard to fly the huge carp kites but the farmers with their rice fields and multiple generations living in the same home often have family Boys' Day kites flying. This is the first set we found not far from us.
And another set by the side of the road. (Tetsu took this photo from his car window.)
The third set was probably set up by a small town off in the hills. It was in a town park. I spent a lot of time under the carps waiting for them to fly in the wind.
Close-up, I noticed the gold patterns on the carp... Flying cranes!
Tetsu finally got a photo of them soaring in the wind!
And the "fourth" set of cranes was also set up by the whole length of the town. Hundreds and hundreds... thousands! of mini carp kites along the roads leading to and out of the town.
And that was about it for the carp kites yesterday. Though the weather was nice in the morning, by afternoon it was thundering, the rain was coming down in sheets and the wind whipping the trees around. I'm sure most of the farmers hurriedly took down their carp kites before the storm hit!
These are the only Boys' Day carp in my house!
Love all the carp, and your stained glass version is superb. And all are even better with a breeze.
ReplyDeleteI like your quilted carp and those don't have to worry about the weather.
ReplyDeleteYour carp are always flying and there is not need to wait for a gust of wind to make them fly.
ReplyDeleteYours are lovely!
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