Tsuyama

I went up to Tsuyama, a small town about an hour north of Okayama, a couple of weeks ago to check out the hanami (cherry blossom-viewing). Tsuyama is probably the most famous spot in the Okayama area for hanami. Although I'm not as enamored with hanami as the Japanese are, as I had never been to Tsuyama before, I thought it would make a good day trip.
I went to the remains of Tsuyama Castle at Kazukan Park. There were several girls there who had probably paid an incredible amount of money to dress up as geishas and have their hair and makeup done in the geisha style. The colours of the kimonos and the flowers in the hair of these three girls was phenomenal.

Kodomo no hi (Children's Day)

May 5 is a national holiday in Japan known as Children's Day. I believe the purpose of it is to celebrate children's happiness. Some parents will fly these carp flags as a kind of tribute to their children. Some of the carp can be quite long, reaching up to about 20 feet. Usually they are more common in the rural areas, however these ones I saw a 2 minute bike ride from my apartment.