May 5 is Children’s Day in Japan, a national holiday. In the weeks leading up to this day, large flags shaped like carp called koi nobori begin to appear, hanging from city apartment balconies, flying atop poles in farmhouse gardens, and strung in long lines across country rivers. This week, in honor of Children’s Day, we visited a hundred year-old koi nobori workshop in Kazo City, Saitama, and spoke to the third generation proprietor, Mr. Takashi Hashimoto.

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