The fishermen hold their New Year celebrations on the second day of the year. They decorate their boats with colorful banners (tairyo-bata) and then hurl mikan (mandarin oranges) and candy to the crowds assembled along the waterfront.
The bold designs of the banners feature auspicious motifs such as cranes (tsuru) or turtles (kame), or notable fish such as swordfish (kajiki) or snapper (tai).
The other inscriptions on the banners include the name of the fishing vessel and also the characters 大漁 (tairyo) meaning 'large catch'.
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