Yemen, located south of Saudi Arabia on the Gulf of Aden, is currently hosting a major exhibition of traditional Japanese toys.  The exhibit will begin in the capital city of Sanaa December 4th, and then move to Ta'izz on December 14th.  The exhibit will feature examples of two of the Japan's oldest and most popular traditional toys, kites and spinning tops. 

The Japanese Traditional Toys Exhibition is organized by the Embassy of Japan and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in cooperation with the Al-Saeed Foundation for Science and Culture and the Yemeni-Japanese Friendship Association. The display is part of the Yemeni government's education initiative to promote understanding of different world cultures.

 Half of the exhibition fouses on kites, the other half on spinning tops, of which there are more than one thousand varieties in Japan.  However, it is the kite exhibit that will be of interest to the those of us in the kite community.

 The Yemen Observer reports (full article):

"Believed to have been first invented in China around 2000 years ago, kites were introduced to Japan during the Hei dynasty, from 794-1185. Then, kites were often used in mail delivery, flying secret letters high across walls to those inside castles.

During Japan’s thousand year kite history, several changes were made to their design and use. Most were made out of special tree leaves that grow in Japan and which are ideal material for their construction. 

The Golden age of Kites in Japan was during the age of Edo, from 1603-1868.  Before then kites were expensive and only noblemen played with them, but with the passing of time they became more common among the wider population.

Today, there are several different types of kites, people play and fly them during holidays and on festivals and special occasions. It is believed in Japan that a kite that flies very high is good omen. 
However, children in Japan today prefer playing with videogames, and while some make kites from plastic kits, most have little time or interest in making kites. 

To combat this, some schools have started to teach handicraft skills in how to make kites. It is hoped that this will guarantee that the tradition of making and playing kites will never disappear, and several old designs are now being used once again."

In my kite workshops with students in schools I find that kites of different nations promote an understanding that no matter where we may be in the world or how different our cultures are, we, as humans, have so many things in common!  Helping to promote an understanding and celebration of our differences and likenesses can be achieved through kites.