Bunnies do their bit

30th April 2008

In a few days' time, it'll be Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi) in Japan.

But the national holiday, which falls on May 5, is known more commonly as Boys' Day.

(Girls' Day is celebrated on March 3. Around about that time, supermarkets explode with pink sweets in pink wrapping.)

As Boys' Day approaches, poles with large carp kites tethered to them start sprouting everywhere. When the wind blows, the carp lift and beat against the air just as if it were water.

The carp kites - or wind socks - can go up to a few metres in length but the ones I found today outside a shop in the geisha district of Pontocho were a lot smaller.

As small as this, in fact.