giant Carp over sasama !

Ever since I took over the SASU ICHI property I like to fly the traditional KOI NOBORI, or carp windsocks, over the property during the Children’s Festival month of May.  The flags symbolize a carp swimming upstream in the hope of reaching the headwaters and being turned into a dragon by the gods—a good tradition for a fisheries scientist born in the year of the dragon to honor!  I would have trouble rigging a highwire to fly them from so I usually just cut some bamboo, lash them to the handrail and attach each windsock separately (a bit odd by Japanese standards, but it works!).  This year, for the first time, I decided to try to raise the big red carp as a fourth flag, but since the flag itself is 6 meters long raising it and the bamboo together was no easy task (thanks to my friends who helped!).  Truly, what we call DEKAI or in my translation “gi-normous”! 

Headed for the heavens on a gorgeous spring day!