 Image search results - "children" |
From late April to early May, five long strings of giant carp streamers swim in the air high above the Sagami River in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. This event was started in 1988.
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Pulling the float, Narita Gion Matsuri
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There are five rows of streamers. In Japan, the koi carp is regarded as a symbol of valiant manhood because it swims up the river against the rapids.
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Tired from walking, Narita Gion Matsuri
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The cable length is 250 meters and 13mmm thick. There are about 1,200 carp streamers. They are reused every year and donated by local families. (I also noticed a few advertising carps.)
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Sagami River Koi-nobori
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The longest carp is 10 meters.
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Narita Gion Matsuri
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Narita Gion Matsuri
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Along the river were food stalls.
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Festival site
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Cable anchor
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Statistics
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Offering prayers at Narita Gion Matsuri
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Here is where anybody can get on the logs and play.
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Narita Gion Matsuri
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Hitsujiyama Park with weeping cherry blossoms
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Narita Gion Matsuri
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"Hey Ho, Let's Go!"
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Special section for younger kids.
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The man at the corner makes sure the kids obey the traffic rules.
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Shrine maidens
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Shrine maidens
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Shrine maidens
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Children dressed as tekomai, Sanno Festival.
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Hanagasa umbrella dancers 花傘
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Hanagasa umbrella dancers, Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka 花傘
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Chigo child
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Mother and twins in yukata
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GumQ kids are very well trained.
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The tower is 333 meters high, with two observatories. The lower one, called the Main Deck, is 150 meters high. The higher one, the Top Deck, is 250 meters up.
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Tokyo Tower has a number of evening illumination themes. This is the "Diamond Veil" illumination.
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In early May for Children's Day, Tokyo Tower was festooned with colorful koinobori carp streamers.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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A real crowd pleaser. Beautiful and photogenic.
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Tokyo Tower with koinobori carp streamers in early May.
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Elevator for the Main Deck.
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Ticket for the Main Deck.
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It wasn't a long wait for the elevator.
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Inside the elevator.
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Main Deck had a cherry blossom-theme projection mapping on the windows.
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Main Deck at Tokyo Tower. Despite the opening of Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower is still holding its own with innovative attractions.
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Tourists loved to pose with the projection mapping imagery.
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Long line for the down elevators.
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Tokyo Tower celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018.
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Restaurant on the Main Deck.
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End of the line on the Main Deck for the Down elevator.
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1st floor elevator.
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Near the elevators on the 1st floor is this exhibition space.
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A mysterious baseball was found on the top of Tokyo Tower.
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Sumo wrestler with kids at Toshi Nogyo Park in Adachi Ward, Tokyo.
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Wrestling with kids amid cherry blossoms from America.
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Train around the sumo ring.
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One rascal kid is trying to undo the wrestler's mawashi.
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This thin man challenged the sumotori.
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He was lifted up and out.
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Then the children's sumo matches. Boys only, no girls. This was the main highlight and crowd pleaser.
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The winners received various household and kitchen goods like towels, pillows, toaster, etc.
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It wasn't so crowded. There were some photographers, and it received local TV news coverage.
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The children's sumo were based on age. And they got older.
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A pillow for this winner.
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Odo-ren 乙奴連
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Takarabune-ren from Mitaka. 寳船連
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Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.
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Hanamatsuri Parade on April 8, Buddha's birthday.
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Men Take Strands of Straw
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A Man and a Baby at Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba.
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Babies to Mud at Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba. The men carry babies to the mud paddy and use a straw strand to paint a dot on the baby. Sometimes they use a finger to do it.
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Sacred Water (and Mud). On the the left, the water feeding the paddy is enclosed by a sacred rope. This makes the water (and mud) sacred.
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All the baby-carrying men must be careful not to slip and fall in the mud. Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba.
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Mud Spotting, Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba. The men hold babies and use mud to paint a mud spot on the baby's face. It is to wish for happiness for the baby.
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Some babies wear beautiful kimono for the occasion.
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The festival is also nicknamed "Doronko Matsuri" which means Mud Festival.
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Mud for All Ages
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Mud Brings Happiness, at Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba.
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New Status Symbol at Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba.
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Mud on Your Face: Fashionable, at Warabi Hadaka Matsuri in Yotsukaido, Chiba.
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Koenji Awa Odori
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Child dancer
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Koenji Awa Odori dance, Tokyo
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Baby Baby Sitter. Such scenes were common in those days. Mom and dad were both busy farming, leaving the baby in the hands of older children. Hand-colored.
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Young baby sitters. The girls look around 8 or 9 years old. The artist went slightly overboard with the hand coloring. Colorful, but too bold.
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Child dancer. Postcard-size photograph. Date is unknown.
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Girl on stage. Postcard-size photograph. Date is unknown.
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Twins. They look like twins or sisters. Real-photo postcard postmarked 1918.
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Autographed as Yoko Aozora. She must have been some kind of teenaged entertainer. Probably a dancer. Looks charming enough.
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New Year's photo. The paper ball is for a traditional New Year's game. Postcard-size photograph.
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Speak, Hear, and See No Evil. A common pose imitating the monkeys. Postmarked 1914. Hand-colored.
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Young girls in kimono.
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At 5:30 pm, they held a short demonstration of awa odori dancing on Happy Road with the local Kita-Urawa Aho-ren dancing.
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Kita-Urawa Aho-ren 北浦和阿呆連
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The festival is also called Naginata Matsuri (festival) and Naginata-furi held in Moriyama, Shiga. 長刀振り
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At Ozu Shrine, everyone went to worship upon arrival.
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Naginata boys
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These boys are carrying a long sword called naginata. Later they will perform acrobatics (dance) with the naginata.
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They all performed again at Ozu Shrine.
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This is an Intangible Folk Culture Property.
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Flute players
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Flute players pose for a picture.
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Flower hat girls pose for a picture.
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Flower hat dancers at Naginata Matsuri, Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture.
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Boy drummers.
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Taiko drum troupe
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Boy drummers show their stuff too.
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中村橋連
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Nakamurabashi-ren passing through Nakamurabashi Station.
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Okame-ren 女華夢連
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Chirudo-ren
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Koganei Sakura-ren 小金井さくら連
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From Koganei in the outskirts of Tokyo.
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Kumegawa-ren 久米川蓮
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On May 5, 2013 (Children's Day), the kite museum held an event for children to write their wishes on paper stickers to be affixed on the back of the giant kite.
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It started with a ceremony with the mayor of Higashi-Omi and the four "Wind Goddesses."
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Mayor of Higashi-Omi
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The Wind Goddesses are like festival princesses who pray for good wind to blow to fly the giant kite.
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Behind the ceremony is the giant kite waiting for more wishing stickers.
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The Higashi-Omi giant kite.
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Booth to buy wishing stickers for 500 yen each. Proceeds were donated for recovery efforts in Tohoku.
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After writing their wishes, kids paste their wishing stickers on the kite.
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After writing their wishes, kids paste their wishing stickers on the kite.
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Wind Goddesses at Higashi-Omi Giant Kite Museum.
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Kids could also make a small kite for 300 yen.
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The little kites flew well.
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My video of shot on May 5, 2013 of kids visiting the kite museum and pasting wishing stickers.
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Look! I caught one!
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Even little girls don the Shimada-ryu style with their real hair and dance.
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