Tokyo Tower Carp Streamer Display / 東京タワー鯉のぼり

 

Carp Streamers, or Koi Nobori (鯉のぼり), have a long history in Japan and is a tradition which has roots even older than that in ancient China. Images of Koi (Carp) are painted on wind socks and, in Japan, are hung up to fly in the wind in celebration of Children's Day. Children's Day is officially celebrated each year on May 5, and the tradition of families decorating their homes with Carp Streamers is the boys' counterpart to the annual girls' holiday, Hinamatsuri / ひな祭り.

Each Carp Streamer hung at a family home represents each of the family's individual sons. If tradition is adhered to strictly, the colours of the Carp are also representative of the sons' birth order. In ancient China, Carp were believed to grow up to be dragons. Because of this famous legend, the streamers bring good fortune, health and longevity to the family's sons, so even into modern times, these bright and cheerful decorations can be seen all over Japan during early May.

The Carp Streamers displayed at Tokyo Tower serve a different purpose. During the first week of May, Tokyo Tower celebrates Children's day by display 333 Carp Streamers-- one for each of its 333 meter height! On a sunny day it's really fun to go see!

Of course, a visit to Tokyo Tower isn't complete without taking a nice rest in the adjacent Shiba Park (芝公園 / Shiba Kōen) which also has lovely views of the tower and rich greenery.

Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival / 根津神社つつじ祭

The last week of April I set out into my neighborhood and headed over to one of my most favourite places-- Nezu Shrine. During the end of April and beginning of May, the shrine's annual Azalea (つつじ / Tsutsuji) Festival is held and it's always a spectacular sight! Nezu Shrine's extensive gardens are planted with over 6,600 square meters of azaleas which include over 100 different varieties, some of which are quite rare.

Some of the azaleas on display are extremely unique with shapes and colours I have never seen anywhere else before.

So why azaleas? Firstly, no one could argue that they're beautiful, of course, but besides that, the azalea is the official flower of Bunkyo City (文京区 / Bunkyō-ku) in which Nezu (根津) and Nezu Shrine are located.

The shrine, of course, has a beauty and wonder all its own at all times of the year, so natually it makes a truly lovely background in which both visitors and regulars can enjoy the gorgeous flora.

Hanami / 花見 2014

Hello Readers! Wow-- it's been a ridiculously long time since I added fresh content. Please accept my apologies. As if that's not bad enough I'm resuming my updates with content that's already a couple of months old. I apologize for that, too, but this year's Hanami was quite lovely so I don't want to just forget about it. After all, it's still springtime in Tokyo-- here we are now into the third month of beautiful spring weather!

This year, Ueno Park was the chosen Hanami spot. There are many, many famous spots to enjoy Hanami in Tokyo, but this is such a personal favourite that it's hard to resist, not to mention it's a reasonably short walk from home. These kitties were super popular with Ueno Park Hanami-goers!

Hanami is not just for the daytime! Most places are very pleasant and beautiful at night too!

Here's a photo marking the end of this year's Hanami season. This was taken on a rainy day after a blossom was blown onto our veranda from our neighbor's tree (yes we get to see a lovely display of cherry blossoms from our home as well!).

Dedicated to all my Musician Friends

There is a magical place in Tokyo called お茶の水駅前 (Ochanomizu Eki Mae / "In front of Ochanomizu Station"). This place is nothing short of a musician's dreamland because upon exiting the station, what lies right before you is a shopping district especially for musicians! The shopping street itself is only about 200 meters long, but both sides of the street are lined with music specialty shops, all of which are several stories high. Electric guitar shops (like "Big Boss Guitars"), acoustic guitar shops, brass specialty shops, orchestral string instrument specialty shops, DJ equipment and keyboard shops, drum specialty shops, sheet music and musicians' accessory shops, pretty much anything you can think of is right there waiting for you, and all shops have items from all over the world in stock. I looked in the window of one store and saw a collection of gorgeous trumpets from Japan, America and Germany, all very reasonably priced, too. If you don't find exactly what you want, it would be a miracle I think, and if the main shopping street doesn't meet your needs, some of the more obscure, hidden shops along the side-streets and alleyways probably will.

As a side-note, I want to mention that I've always liked the name "Ochanomizu," because it translates into "tea water."