I love these. Every year on May 5, families fly koi nobori outside their houses as a sort of prayer that their sons will become like the carp that climbed the waterfall to become a dragon. These fish flags always cheer me up, but this year for some reason the public displays are particularly exuberant!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
I hope that SECRETLY their daughters climb the waterfall, behind everyone’s backs.
Heh, they did change the name of the May 5 holiday to “Children’s Day” from “Boys’ Day” but the customs are stubbornly still pretty boy-specific. Girls get their day on March 3, but the doll festival customs are rather short on wishing for warrior-like achievement.