Children's Day Streamers - Koinobori in Kiyosato Yamanashi, Japan

Koinobori - Carp Streamers
5 May 2010, It's Children's Day in Japan. As part of celebrations every year, Japanese homes and cities are adorned with streamers called koinobori. We ran into thousands of these streamers on our way to Kiyosato in Yamanashi, Japan. This is a rare sight as you may find one or a few streamers here and there but not this many streamers(koinobori) in one place.

Kunitachi Nebuta Festival, Photo of Warriors and Flowers

Main display at the entrance to the Kunitachi Nebuta festival between August 14th and 16th; 2009.

The Nebuta art works are wooden frames covered with Japanese papers with beautifully designed images of samurai warriors and their horses, historical scenes, women, flowers etc. The display is always at night with hundreds of light bulbs inside making the Nebuta glow. They are moved from place to place on carriages accompanied with drums, flutes, singing and dancing in a kind of floating parade . It's very colorful and a beautiful scene to watch; viewers are also welcomed to join in the processions.