Nope, it's a Kite!
And a very well made one, too. I'm not sure if they are some kind of group, but in the afternoon on the weekends, there are a number of people flying handmade kites at the Koku Koen.
They told me that they make it from thin wood and 'Washi,' a type of Japanese paper. They also paint the kites, too.
A lot of people sitting around on the grass watch as the kites fly over head. This little girl in the photo below was the most curious, closing in on the old man as he manned his kite.
Happy weekend everyone!
6 comments:
Awesome kite , really beautiful , love the last pic too, the little girl is very cute ! Happy Weekend !
wow, old man playing with kites! ^0^
it thought it was a bird too, it just looked so real...
i love kites but sadly, i don't know how to fly one. :(
It always amazes me how children and adults alike are drawn to kites.
When I was a wee nipper, everybody knew how to fly a kite and that was a cheap way of entertainment. We made our own.
I met a man at the bus station when I was going to Margate International Kite festival and when he learned where I was headed, he told me of his fascination for kites, that he is always drawn to them when he sees them flying. He turned out to be a retired airline pilot!
Yes, Japanese kites are exquisite. Also, I read somewhere that some Japanese turn their nose up at kites that require a tail - if it's any good, it doesn't need one! Like that realistic bird kite in the top photo.
We have fun making our own kites, and the Rokkaku and Sode are fantastic fliers in light winds. In stronger breezes they ... ummmm .... might need a bit of tail!
Re the second photo, the kite-flying age range in our family is pretty respectable - from 3 years (my small son Aren) to myself at nearly 50...
Thank you Babzy, hope you had a lovely weekend as well!
Arabesque, I'm no expert either. I think you need a lot of patience and wind to fly one properly :)
Jamesina Goulbourne, thank you for commenting. I used to fly kites down by the beach when I was little, too! You have a great website :)
Tim Parish, thank you for the comment! I didn't realize that Japanese kites didn't have tails...but now that you mentioned it, I think you may be right! One of the great things about kites are that they can be enjoyed by all :)
Thank you Kaori!
You have a very interesting and diverse blog on Tokorozawa.
If you know about the traditional Japanese food Natto, it would be interesting to know how the people view it there. I understand it to be a great health food and good for the cardiovascular system.
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