Tanabata is a Japanese festival celebrated each year in July. Tanabata means evening of the 7th and is also called “The Star Festival”.  It is based around a folk legend involving Orihime, the weaving Princess, and Hikoboshi, the cow herder.  Legend has it that when they met, the two immediately fell in love and were married.  After the marriage, Orihime no longer wanted to weave beautiful fabric for her father, and Hikoboshi neglected his job herding the cows.  Their lack of work infuriated Tentei, Orihime’s father, so he separated the two on either side of the Milky Way and told them they could no longer be together.  Orihime was so sad that her father finally agreed to let them meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month as long as they successfully completed their jobs.

Their first meeting was halted due to lack of a bridge across the celestial river.  Magpies heard Orihime’s cries and promised to make a bridge with their wings.  According to the legend, when it rains, the magpies can’t come and Orihime and Hikoboshi must wait another year to meet.

During Tanabata, it is a custom to write your wishes on a strip of paper, and hang it on bamboo branches. The person who wrote the wish then prays that their wish will come true. We saw a Tanabata bamboo tree at the  train station.  We wrote our wish on a strip of paper, and followed suit by hanging it on the tree.  There were many people doing the same thing, and the wishes varied from wanting to meet a famous rock band member to getting a better job.  There were Tanabata trees and decorations everywhere we went!

There was a special Tanabata show at Disney Sea starring Mickey and Minnie as the star crossed couple with special songs and dances about “The Star Festival”.  This festival is so popular that they even had limited edition Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls dressed in special Tanabata outfits.

We attended a Tanabata festival in a town about an hour away from Tokyo, and there were thousands attending the festival that day.  Food booths were everywhere serving just about every kind of food you can imagine. Octopus balls are a favorite food at festivals and taste better than they sound.  Many people were dressed in yukatas, and there were all sorts of games that you would find at a county fair.  

The streets were filled with Tanabata decorations made by many local businesses, groups, and schools.  The decorations are very colorful and were hanging down across the streets. You could find everything from majestic dragons to famous soccer players made of paper mache, and some even moved and played music!  It was a beautiful rainbow of colors!  It’s hard not to enjoy the Tanabata experience when the air is filled with the wishes, dreams, and hopes of everyone around you!