Traveling all the way from Tokyo, Mikio Toki wants to share his skills with students around Denver.
"Good chance to hear or see Japanese culture and kite is very traditional one," Toki said.
He is a Master Kite Maker brought here by the Japan America Society of Colorado. Toki is working with kids from three schools including the Denver Center for International Studies at Montbello. Teacher Brian Arnold likes the idea of having a Master Kite Maker working with his students.
"I was like Master Kite Maker. How do I become a Master Kite Maker? How many years do you have to go in order to be a Master Kite Maker?" Arnold said.
Toki has been perfecting his craft for more than 40 years. Arnold says this is a rare chance for many of his students.
"One of the things that's really cool about kites is our kids probably never had the opportunities in most cases to fly a kite," Arnold said.
DCIS at Montbello Sophomore Daniel Carrillo is one of them.
"I think it's really awesome. I always wanted to make a kite," Daniel said.
Daniel worked carefully to fold his paper properly and dip it into a variety of colors to make a unique pattern.
"I thought it was going to look horrible by the way all the colors were put, but once I opened it, it looked beautiful," Daniel said.
Toki says making kites and teaching others to make them helps him feel young.
"When you fly a kite, everybody big smile, same as children," Toki said.
On Sunday, Toki will host a free, family-friendly Japanese Kite Flying Festival at Stapleton Central Park where students will take their creations into the wind.
"Just hope everybody gets to make a kite like this one and then gets to meet him cause he's a really nice person, too," Daniel said.
