No92

Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No 92.Today is Sunday, but we have auctions, and I(Ichiro) attend an auction in Kyoto,and Yuka attends an auction in Shikoku. Attending an auction is always fun, expecting come across something special. We learn lots of things through the auctions. Cherry blossom season ends, and now we become to come across koinobori(carp streamer) in some places. May 5th is boy's festival day 'Tango-no-sekku', and people display koinobori and dolls during April till that day.In this season, at the Ishikawa river near our office, many koinobori are dispayed colorfully. There are many koinobori festival all over Japan, where people display many koinobori at a time often over the rivers collectively. http://www.to-wa.ne.jp/http://www.pluto.dti.ne.jp/%7Ekuriyama/koinobori/koinobori.html
Besides koinobori, people display samurai doll or noboribata with hoping the their boys grow healthy and bravely. http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~cbx41100/sub005-05gatsu-A.htm
In olden times samurai family displayed noboribata(long flag), which have samurai or carp motif and family crest. Ordinary people didn't have family crests but emulated them. They displayed carp motif flags, and later nobori bata ( flag ) transformed to koinobori. Contemporary koinobori has 'fukinagashi', which is top of the carps, which was said to be the remain of flags ( old type one has kamon there).
We can see samurai dolls and koinobori are displayed and sold at big stores. But this tradition is going out. In the urban area we rarely see big ( but ordinary size ) koinobori displayed. In our condominium building only a few families diplay small size koinobori at their veranda. When we drive countryside, we sometimes see the full size koinobori are displayed
This is Yuka I came home from the auction in Shikoku and read what Ichiro wrote.Yes I have seen some koinobori swimming(We say, koinobori swims) in the sky at some houses in country side of Okayama and shikoku today.>From Honshu(main island of Japan )to Shikoku(big island with four prefectures)there is a big bridge called `Seto ohashi'. Since the bridge has been buitl, it made many people come to Shikoku. You can take a day trip easily by Shinkansen.It was unusual--some people did not attend this aucton for the another big auction was held in Kyoto and some people who usually comes to Shkoku did not come.
The atmosphere in the auction in Shikoku is very friendly and there was a lot oflaughter. In big auctions, there exist some `unseen' barriar which newer person cannot get into--you have to read the auctioneer's face, but today's auctions, there were nice atomosphere.Sometimes it is very tricky--some peple say `here is what you like' and try to seduce us. There are a lot of puns and jokes--while the auctioneer keeps offering items. So you have to be really concentrated to the things spreadingin front of you. Many people I met today were `an always tourist'who followsthe auction schedules held all over japan. Before auction starts, usually,ipponjime(handclap) is done by everyone.(and at the end of auctions too)The auction ended quite early today.When you win, you have to remove the items in the center, as soon as possible.There are many empty boxes for us and we just throw in the box what we won first.Some people come with a staff who fold kimono and put in the box and send.If there is a thing you really want, you have to jump to the price quite higher.If he or she says the price like that and becomes the winner, everyone says`beautiful'. Today one bidder really wanted a certain kimono ans she jumped and said a cost but there was another customer who says the higher price. She just said `I am so sorry, my legs are short and I could not juno higher.'It is hard--sometimes you have to let people know that you like to win a particular item and sometimes you have to hide that all through the day. Tactics and concentration is needed.
Thank you very much for reading to the end, domo arigato gozaimashita
**WE are adding new arrivals(kimono, bolt and haori) in about 4-5 hoursfrom now. We will be very happy if you have some time to browse our new house.Thank you very much again,

Ichiro & Yuka WadaKimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"http://www.ichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.comaddress: Asia-shoji Bldg.301 1841-1 Nishi 1 chome Wakamatsu cho Tondabayashi city Osaka 584-0025 JAPANTEL&FAX ****( international number ) - 81-721-23-5446