Carp Streamers | SHIZUOKA TOURISM

The other day I was attending the Kanaya Tea Festival in Shimada City with some American friends.
One of them had gone on his own fro a while and he joined us again he realized he had forgotten his small coin purse in a small shop he had visited/. He was about to give up, but since this is Japan, we knew we had a good chance to find there and decided to accompany him back there!

It meant we had to go into an area of Kanaya I didn’t know.
That is when we discovered a small river crossing the town!

The 5th of May being near and the very next festival the river was literally covered with carp streamers!

Koinobori (鯉幟), meaning “carp streamer” in Japanese, are carp-shaped wind socks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Tango no sekku (端午の節句), a traditional calendrical event which is now designated a national holiday; Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi, 子供の日).

These wind socks are made by drawing carp patterns on paper, cloth or other non-woven fabric. They are then allowed to flutter in the wind. They are also known as satsuki-nobori (皐幟).

Children’s Day takes place on May 5h, the last day of Golden Week, the largest break for workers and also a week in which businesses usually close for up to 9–10 days. Landscapes across Japan are decorated with koinobori from April to early May, in honor of children for a good future and in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.

The Japanese consider the carp the most spirited fish — so full of energy and power that it can fight its way up swift-running streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. Since these are traits desired in boys, families traditionally fly Koinobori from their homes to honor their sons.

Today, along with the raising of Koinobori in each household, children also “indulge in kashiwa-mochi”, sticky rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves, and other sweets. As a tradition, throughout Children’s Day, children also thank and show respect for relatives, parents, and teachers for support throughout their life.