Nagomi Jarvis of Coffs in her yukata, a summer kimono, at the Japanese Festival of Children’s Day in the Botanic Garden at Coffs Harbour. Trevor Veale
BELLINGEN’S Oanh Nguyen won the Grand Champion award for her doitsu matsuba at Coffs Harbour’s inaugural koi carp competition yesterday.
The scaleless, zip-patterned, white and black fish edged out the Reserve Champion, a red-over-brown goshiki koi carp exhibited by Nambucca’s Garry and Barbara O’Bryan.
The koi carp show, with the Japanese consul-general a VIP visitor and international koi judge Kate McGill a special guest, was a highlight of Sunday’s Japanese Festival of Children’s Day at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden, the fifth such event held in the city.
The colourful ornamental fish are the symbol for the Children’s Day event and dozens of koinobori, or koi-shaped kites, were flying on Sunday, a gift from Coffs Harbour’s Japanese sister city, Sasebo.
Below the kites there was Japanese dancing, singing, games, kite-making mask-making, story-reading, calligraphy and lots of food.
Karangi’s Sally Archer said she was a learner koi carp owner and was fascinated by her carp’s colouring, the velvety feel of its skin and its glittering ginrin scales, which flashed when they caught the sunlight.
She said koi were fish with plenty of personality.
In spite of squelchy conditions underfoot, hundreds flocked to the Garden to enjoy the events and the rare sunshine.
Article source: http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2011/05/02/flags-fly-high-for-japanese-event/