Japan's Children's Day Celebration
Kodomo no hi
Schools offering Japanese language classes are invited to participate in the celebration of Japan's Children's Day at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Japanese Garden on Sunday 5 May 2019 from 11 am – 1 pm.
Children’s Day in Japan is set aside to celebrate children’s strengths, personalities and happiness. ‘Koinobori’, carp-shaped streamers and windsocks, are displayed outside homes, in streets and parks as a symbol of the carp’s strength as it swims against the current.
The City of Hobart, supported by the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, invite schools offering Japanese language classes in the greater Hobart area, to join the celebration by working with their students to create traditional decorations for display in the Japanese Garden.
The celebrations will be open to the public and commence from 11 am on Sunday 5 May, with the City of Hobart’s Lord Mayor officially welcoming guests, followed by a program of family-friendly activities, performances and traditional Japanese food. Families will be encouraged to stay on and enjoy the gardens with Japanese lunch options available for purchase.
Teacher information
Project details
- Schools wishing to participate in the event are asked to complete a quick online registration form and submit by 5 pm Friday 22 February 2019.
- Classes are invited to create traditional carp-shaped streamers, windsocks and/or garlands (koinobori) for display in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens at the Children’s Day Celebration on Sunday 5 May 2019. Links to teacher resources are listed in the Teacher Resources section below.
- A financial contribution from the City of Hobart may be available to schools to assist with project costs associated with creating the traditional style decorations. A City of Hobart officer will be in touch with applicants in early March to discuss financial requests.
- To align with the City of Hobart’s goal to achieve zero waste to the Hobart landfill by 2030, materials used to create the koinobori (streamers, windsocks and/or garlands) MUST be made from and/or be recyclable and/or compostable materials. We also strongly encourage the use of environmentally safe paints, inks, glues, tapes, etc.
Decorations will be displayed outside, please ensure the following:
- Materials are able to stand up to wind and light rain
- A sturdy section with a hole, on each decoration, to attach a cord for hanging
- Please DO NOT attach a cord before collection. Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens staff will attach a cord suitable for hanging items in the Japanese Garden
Each item must be discretely but securely labelled with school and student name for safe return. Note: In the chance of heavy rain, the event will move to an undercover area in the gardens.
- Koinobori decorations, ready for display, will need to be suitably labelled and packaged for transport by Tuesday 30 April for collection by City of Hobart officers on Wednesday 1 May.
- In addition to koinobori decorations, classes may also wish to make related items such as paper Samurai helmets (Kabuto), paper fans, origami iris flowers (Shobu), for students to bring along on the day. Please DO NOT include these items with the koinobori decorations.
- We strongly encourage each school or class to prepare a special presentation to share during the celebration. Example: student poems, traditional songs, recitation, performance, etc.
Registration information
All registrations are via an online form.
Applications close at 5 pm Friday 22 February. If you are unable to complete the form in one sitting, the information may be saved and returned to at a later time.
You will receive an email confirmation along with a copy of the completed form once the application has been successfully submitted.
Contact information
If you have any questions about the registration process or have any issues, you may contact the event coordinator:
- 03 6238 2430
- coatesc@hobartcity.com.au
Teacher Resources
This first resource provides links to stories and songs to share with students:
The links below provide instructional support for making traditional Japanese decorations. These are suggestions only with many additional resources to be found online.