Bunnies do their bit


30th April 2008


In a few days' time, it'll be Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi) in Japan.
But the national holiday, which falls on May 5, is known more commonly as Boys' Day.

(Girls' Day is celebrated on March 3. Around about that time, supermarkets explode with pink sweets in pink wrapping.)

As Boys' Day approaches, poles with large carp kites tethered to them start sprouting everywhere. When the wind blows, the carp lift and beat against the air just as if it were water.

The carp kites - or wind socks - can go up to a few metres in length but the ones I found today outside a shop in the geisha district of Pontocho were a lot smaller.

As small as this, in fact.

Bull's-eye(ish)


10th April 2008


I've held off writing about the year I've spent studying kyudo, or traditional Japanese archery, because I haven't had the time to do a proper post about it, whatever a proper post means.

But I hit the bull's-eye today.

Well, not quite. It was a little to the right of dead centre but standing at the other end of the shooting range, it looked like I'd shot straight into the heart of the target.

Kawaguchi-sensei, the most senior of my three teachers, was there too.

'I feel like I should take a picture,' I said.

'Did you bring a camera?'

'Well - I have my phone.'

She was smiling. 'Do you want to take a photo?'

I thought about it. 'Erm, yeah.'

One of the other students was waiting by the targets to retrieve the arrows and she called out to him. 'Leave the arrow in the No.4 mato! She wants to take a picture of it!'

And off I went. Kawaguchi-sensei sent Sakai-san, another student, after me so I could pose with the target but all I really wanted was a photo of the arrow.

Staring at it now, I still can't quite believe it.

You wouldn't believe it either, if you'd been sending arrows too high, too low, too wide, too high and wide and, in the most embarrassing instance, into the ground about a metre before the target.

I'll probably never touch the centre again. But I'll remember the magic thhuddd of the arrow driving into the target - and the even more magical disbelief that followed.

Is it too late to buy a lottery ticket today?