As you might know kites have a proud and storied tradition in Japan. For many hundreds of year, since long before the Edo period, the arrival of a new baby boy into a family was marked by the giving of kites as presents. In addition to this there are certain times of the year when kites are flown as part of local tradition. Japanese kites tend to reflect the availability of the material found in Japan. The traditional Japanese kite style is a vertical rectangle made of special hand made paper ( washi ) and bamboo. The Japanese word for kite is tako. A giant kite is referred to as an Oodako. At new year ( O shogatsu ) there are many kite festivals.
Throughout most of the spring you can somewhere find a town having a kite day. But without question the greatest number of these festivals or “matsuri” for kites are held during “golden week.” ( approx. April 28 ~ May 5 ). During this period which sees the celebration of Children’s Day ( May 5), these kite festivals flourish all over Japan.