Last Saturday, May 5th was 子供の日 (kodomo no hi or Children's Day) or Boy's day. This has always struck me as inherently sexist for Children, by definition, includes both Boys and Girls, yet they choose to refer to it as Children's Day. Besides, boys get to fly these cool Carp-shaped banners, whereas girls can only display dolls. Besides, Boy's Day is a National Holiday and ends Golden Week, whereas The Doll Festival is just an ordinary day.
The above two pics were snapped while at Lake Inawashiro, by the way.Boys get to chow down on カシワの餅 （kashiwa-mochi, Mochi rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa oak leaves) and they get their own songs...
屋根 より 高い こいのぼり
Yane yori Takai koinobori = roof (more) than high carp streamers
Carp streamers are higher than the roof
大きい 真鯉 は お父さん
Ookii magoi wa otoosan = big carp as for father
The biggest carp is the father
小さい 緋鯉 は 子供たち
Chiisai higoi wa kodomo tachi = small carp as for children
The small carp are children
面白 そう に 泳いでる
Omoshiro soo ni oyoideru = interesting look like swimming
Enjoying swimming in the sky
OR
Sei Kurabe (Height Comparison)
柱のきずは おととしの 五月五日の 背くらべ
Hashira no kizu wa ototoshi no gogatsu itsuka no Sei-Kurabe
粽たべたべ 兄さんが 計ってくれた 背のたけ
Chimaki tabe-tabe nii-san ga hakatte kureta sei no take
きのうくらべりゃ 何のこと やっと羽織の 紐のたけ
Kinou kurabe-rya nan no koto, yatto haori no himo no take
(Lyrics by Unnu Atsushi, Composed by Nakayama Shinpei)
The scratch on the pillar was marked the 5th of May in the year before last for comparison of height.
Eating and eating chimaki, my elder brother measured the length of my height.
Comparing yesterday, however, the difference was barely a length of cord of my haori short coat.
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