If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Today is the final day of Golden Week - a series of holidays for the Japanese. Thanks to my present working conditions this has been no change for me personally although the vast majority of Japanese are on holiday as well. It is also Tango-no-Sekku, the Boys’ Festival for the male young of this country and for several weeks now carp streamers have been flowing outside. From the linked webpage

It is Japan’s way of celebrating the healthy growth and development of her young boys. The Japanese culture celebrates a holiday on May 5th called Boys’ Day or Children’s Day. On this day, every family strings a carp (koi) flag on a bamboo stick. Each carp represents each male in the family. The carp has become the symbol of the Boys’ Day because the Japanese considered it the most spirited of fish. The carp is full of energy and power. It can fight its way up strong streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. The carp is an appropriate symbol to encourage manliness and the overcoming of life’s difficulties leading to consequent success.