Explore everyday life in Japan
Koi are a hardy fish that can survive in relatively cold temperatures. They are known to swim upstream, against the current, and to move pretty much continuously. Because of this, they are praised in Japan as a symbol of strength and resilience.
Japan has a tradition dedicated to koi. Every year at the end of April and beginning of May, beautifully painted koi flags (wind socks) are raised and flown along the rivers and canals of many towns and cities. They are also flown outside of many houses. These flags are dedicated to the children of Japan and carry the hope that Japanese children will grow up to be strong and resilient like the koi themselves.
If you are in Japan, you will find koi ponds in many parks and gardens. Gathered around the edges of these ponds you may see children jumping and giggling as they throw feed to the koi fish. Occasionally, you may also see a random child recoiling backward from the lunge of an overzealous koi trying to take the feed straight from a child’s hand.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting daily updates about life in Japan, please consider following me. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.