Have All-Abroad the travelogue delivered FREE to your mailbox every fortnight. For one thing they're not kid stuff. The Japanese take their kite flying seriously and have done for centuries. When Tokyo was still called Edo kite battles were a common form of diversion. With their guide ropes covered in razor-sharp crushed glass, competitors could easily cut through the strings of opponents' kites and in modern Japan the various Kite Festivals revive the old tradition.
Kites also have spiritual significance and are often used in religious festivals.
Japanese kites are works of art made from split bamboo and handmade paper onto which their bold, colourful patterns or pictures are painted. The diminutive Kite Museum , above the Taimeiken Restaurant is a homage to this traditional art and has more than 3,000 kites on display collected not only from Japan but from throughout Asia . A great favourite with kids, the museum often holds kite-making workshops, albeit in Japanese. The Kite Museum is open from 11am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and is 200 for adults and 100 for kids. The oldest shrine in Tokyo is Buddhist one.