Boy's/Children's Day 2012

Little Brother's koinobori hasn't been out of its box in years. We don't have a proper pole anymore to hang it. Besides, Baba insists it is for very young boys. Little Brother is now 16!

I hung it anyway. Near the laundry. Talk about nontraditional!

It couldn't be seen from the road.

But someone noticed.

She waited for me to leave,

but, in the end, she didn't bother it. This dog always keeps her in line.

Click on the labels below for more information about Boy's/Children's Day. And here for more about Boy's Day decorations. (We call it Boy's Day at our house because we have a boy and a girl. Girl's Day is in March.)

Boy's/Children's Day 2012-- Sweets

Aunt brought these sweets to Little Brother (age 16) for Boy's Day or Children's Day. This shop's logo is actually our family crest.

At Great-grandfather's funeral 17 years ago, there was a family crest on a banner hanging at our front gate. Big Sister said, "Upside-down Mickey!"

Everyone laughed that sad day. She was only 3 and doesn't remember.

Check the labels below for more about Boy's Day/Children's Day.

Kids Web Japan-- Boy's/Children's Day

Asia Society-- Children's Day in Japan: Kodomo no hi 

(We call it Boy's Day at house  because we celebrate having a boy by putting out the boy's festival decorations. See this old post.)

Boy's/Chidren's Day 2012-- Grocery Store Options

 snack display (some of this is on the bottom shelf)

 kashiwa mochi  (old post)

shobu (old post)

Click on the labels below for more information about Boy's/Children's Day.

Boy's Day 2009

Baba and Aunt brought sekihan, mochi and shobu upstairs today. Check old posts about our Boy's Day celebrations by clicking on the labels below. There is also more information at Kids Web Japan.

Kids Web Japan --Boy's Day/Children's Day
Kids Web Japan--Golden Week

Giant Koinobori at Showa Kinen Koen

This is a huge koinobori. This picture was taken at the top of the hill. The koinobori is down in a ravine. With the children standing in front, you can tell how big it really is. Click on the label below to see last year's pictures.

The koinobori from last year was moved and draped among the trees like a tent. Kids were running through it.

Boy's Day/Children's Day

Check past posts (in late April and early May of each calendar year)for more information about this holiday. Also check out the links and labels below. It is Golden Week so everyone is off and having fun.

We call it "Boy's Day" (in English) around our house because we have a boy. (Girl's Day is celebrated March 3.) We don't put out the full display every year. This kashiwa mochi on this little wooden table is fake. It is part of the display.

Kids Web Japan--Boy's Day/Children's Day

Kids Web Japan--Golden Week

Boy's Day Card

I found this card at TOYS "R" US. I bought it for Little Brother. He will be surprised. It's not customary to give or send cards on Boy's Day.

Happy Children's Day or Happy Boy's Day! (We call it Boy's Day in our family because we have a daughter who celebrates Girl's Day in March.)

We went to Showa Kinen Koen, Showa Memorial Park today. Look at the following posts, too. Click on the labels below or look through the archives for April and May 2006 pictures and info. about Children's Day/Boy's Day.

Kids Web Japan--Children's Day

A Huge Carp and A Koinobori

This koi or carp was in a "valley" at Showa Kinen Koen, Showa Memorial Park. It was huge. Click to enlarge and you may be able to see people on the right. That will provide perspective to know how big it really is.

It was far away and we were all looking down on it, so it looks smaller in the pictures. Here is a mother and son looking at it.

TOYS "R" US sells traditional Japanese holiday decorations like this koinobori. These koi or carp will be strung together and hung outside. Maybe you can figure out how much it costs in your country's currency.

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

Another Boy's Day Treat

It looks like a dorayaki shaped like a koinobori. It's not filled with beans, though. It's filled with mochi, glutinous rice. Yum.

What is this?

I have seen this for the first time this spring. It is packaged as a Boy's Day snack. See the helmet on the little boy and the koinobori, string of carp? In March, it was packaged for Girl's Day, too.

Do you know what it is?

Can you tell now?

It's cotton candy! I have seen it at festivals served on a wooden chopstick.


Kids Web Japan--Constitution Day

Window Display for Boy's Day

Irises are displayed and kashiwa mochi are eaten for Boy's Day, May 5th. We have eaten some several times already. Kashiwa mochi, that is. Click on the "Boy's Day" label below for more information about the day's celebration.

A full view of the window display.

Boy's Day Decorations at TOYS "R" US

May 5th will be Children's Day or Boy's Day. From the middle of March, there were decorations and treats in the stores. TOYS "R" US sells decorations, too. Here are some helmets that are displayed for the special day. Check last year's post to see Little Brother's decorations. He uses Papa's old set of armor. Check the posts for April last year to see other Boy's Day things.

It was raining today so there are no pictures of the outdoor nature of Tokyo.

Can you figure out the price of these in your country's currency? Do you know where to look for the current exchange rate?

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

A Boy's Day Custom

Today is Boy's Day. It is kodomo-no-hi which means "children's day". Our family translates it as Boy's Day because we have a boy in our family. Girl's Day is in March. Here's another picture of a koinobori.

Tonight, some children will wear shobu wrapped around their heads in the bath. Shobu are the long leaves pictured here next to the dollar bill. Wearing it in the bath on this day is an old custom. What does it mean? It started as a way of protecting children from evil spirits and disease. It is also said to keep poisonous bugs and snakes away. The smell is said to have a calming effect. What does it smell like? To me, it smells like a buttery cake. Big Sister and Little Brother don't agree, but we all agree that it's a nice smell. I'm sure there are many children and adults who are not aware of the meaning of wearing it. In fact, Papa had to look it up on the internet to be sure. To him, it's always been something fun to do. That's the way it is with a lot of customs, isn't it?

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

Golden Week

Today is the first day off from school for Golden Week (in our neighborhood). There are several holidays in a row. April 29th was the birthday of the previous emperor. It is a holiday. This year it was on a Saturday and many children now have Saturdays off anyway. Then there is Constitution Day on May 3rd, a national holiday on the 4th, and Boy's Day or Children's Day on the 5th. Today was sunny so there were many koinobori flying in the breeze. It is a string of fish called koi. This decoration is for Boy's Day and is put up as early as the end of April. I took this picture near a parking lot for a garden center. the garden center had its own koinobori!

Boy's Day Flower

This is a small, light purple iris. It has a rather long stem.Look back at the picture of the Boy's Day decoration. I cut this iris several inches before putting it in the vase. It's about two feet long. I bought it in a flower shop nearby. They usually have small dark blue irises with yellow stripes for Boy's Day.

Boy's Day Treat

This is kashiwa mochi. It's available around Boy's Day. It is glutinous rice filled with sweet bean paste then wrapped in an oak leaf. Sounds yummy, huh? It actually is. Especially with green tea.
Kashiwa is oak. Mochi is the round "cake". I've heard people call it a rice cake when they are translating or explaining it in English. That sounds better than glutinous rice, but Americans know rice cakes as puffed crunchy rice. (I've seen that sold here, but you put it in a bowl of boiling water to make a hot cereal.) Mochi is rice that has been pounded until it is soft and sticky. The bean paste is made from adzuki beans that are sweetened. Mochi is sold throughout the year and is presented in different ways. The oak leaf is special for Boy's Day. The leaf is not eaten.

Boy's Day Decorations

We got out the Boy's Day decorations today. May 5th is Boy's Day. Actually it is kodomo no hi or Children's Day, but since we have a boy in our family we call it Boy's Day. (Girl's Day is in March.) Families who have a boy decorate. These decorations were Papa's when he was a little boy. Notice that it is just the armor.

There is no doll underneath (see, no eyes). Department stores sell them. Even Toys "R" Us (we have two or three). We put ours on the landing on the stairs. Usually people put them in an alcove called a tokonoma in the washitsu, a room with the grass mats or tatami.

This isn't a good picture. I'm afraid I couldn't get a good angle or far enough away to take the picture. That's the way it is here sometimes. You have to go outside to take a picture of something inside. I'll write more later and show other decorations.