Tanabata Festival

Browse our categories

Web Snippets

Narita Airport English site The official website of Narita Airport in Tokyo. It’s fully in English and lets you check on flight details and also has up-to-date news and information on services and new developments within the Airport.

Japan Rail Timetable - Online! This link is golddust. You can plan all your JR Pass routes in *english* and online using this great tool. It even shows you how much each leg costs so you can either form a budget, or congratulate yourself on how much money you are saving with a JR Pass!.

JR Timetable update - Oct 1, 2007 The latest Japan Rail Timetable and routemap as of Oct 1st, 2007.

What is Tanabata?

Tanabata Festival is a celebration of the stars which is held yearly on the 7th day of the 7th month. According to a Chinese legend, the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky way, are able to meet on this day so people celebrate by writing wishes on a piece of paper and hang them up on a special bamboo tree.

When is Tanabata Festival held?

Although July 7th is the common time to celebrate Tanabata, the old Lunar calendar places the seventh month in August so many areas of Japan have celebrations during this month. The famous Tanabata festival in Sendai is held from the 6th to the 8th of August with a fireworks display on the 5th.

Best place to Experience Tanabata?

The most popular area for the Tanabata Festival is at Sendai which is located in Northern Japan in Miyagi Prefecture. Alternatively, Hiratsuka city in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo is also well known for it’s Tanabata Festival.

Why not visit these areas during the Tanabata Festival period to experience a traditional Japanese festival where you can enjoy many delicious foods and fun activities!