Tanabata, The Star Festival and Day Of Wishes

One of my favorite kid-friendly summer events in Japan is Tanabata, the Star Festival and day of wishes. While not a public holiday, it’s something to look forward to as the rainy season comes to an end.

Tanabata (七夕), held every year on July 7, is one of Japan’s go sekku, or 5 annual ceremonies with Chinese roots celebrated by the ancient Japanese imperial court.

BTW, here’s a quick refresher on the other sekku:
Nanakusa no Sekku — New Year’s (January 7)
Momo no Sekku — Girls’ Day (March 3)
Tango no Sekku — Boys’ Day/Children’s Day (May 5)
Kiku no Sekku  — Chrysanthemum Festival (September 9)

The Origins of Tanabata

Tanabata (七夕) is based on the Chinese love story of QiXi. It’s a story of the annual meeting of Hikoboshi and Orihime, lovers separated by the Milky Way.

Orihime was beautiful and gifted weaver who caught the eye of Hikoboshi, a diligent herder. After they were married, they enjoyed married life, as one does when they are married.

Unfortunately for them, they spent too much time with each other and less time weaving silks and attending their flocks of cows and sheep.

Orhime’s father, who just happened to be the emperor of heaven, sent the happy couple to live on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Only after Orihime cried and cried did her father give her permission to meet her husband once as year… so long as they both worked hard the other 364 days.

The day that Orihime and Hikiboshi meet, as you might have figured out is, July 7. And, there’s another catch to this “romantic” story. Orihime and Hikoboshi can only meet if the skies are clear! So, if it rains… Well, sucks to be them, I guess.

(But, I think if you watch enough Asian dramas, you know that there is no happily ever after worth gaining without several roadblocks/landmines, attempts on one’s life, and shocking paternity reveals.)

The “star” in Star Festival comes from the stars that the pair represents. Vega (Orihime) is a star in the Lyra constellation (and one of the brightest in the night sky) while Altair (Hikoboshi) is a star in the Aquila constellation.

Together with a third star (Deneb of the Cygnus constellation), they form a triangle that’s visible in the summer skies of the northern hemisphere.

Celebrating Tanabata

In the days leading up to Tanabata kids write wishes on tanzaku (短冊), colorful strips of paper that are hung on a bamboo wish tree.

Department stores, shopping malls, and even supermarkets typically have a Tanabata wish tree on display for young customers to write and hang their wishes. Japanese daycares, kindergartens, and elementary schools also have wish trees.

Those who can write hiragana try to write their wish with the help of a teacher. Or, kids may draw a picture of their dream. They may also make origami decorations.

For babies and tots like Miss M, parents write a wish on behalf of their child. Normally it’s something like, “I wish he could meet Anpanman/be potty trained/like veggies.”

(And in case you’re wondering what happens to the wishes on a school Tanabata tree, we send the tanzaku home.)

If you’re in Japan, you can easily find Tanabata decorations like this set on Amazon Japan:

Or, if you’re feeling crafty, you can fashion your own decorations out of origami paper and decorate an  artificial bamboo plant, which can be used year-round as interior décor.

Tanabata Festivals

Tanabata festivals take place all across Japan, from local community gatherings to grand productions.

Perhaps the most famous Tanabata festival is in Sendai, which takes place around August 7. More than 2 million people visit during the 3 day festivities to see Tohoku’s largest city beautifully decorated in colorful streamers.

Not to be outdone, Tokyo Disney Resort has done Disney Tanabata Days, a monthlong celebration leading up to Tanabata. It’s a month of festivities, parades and Tanabata-ish foods/drinks. There’s also  Micky, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy dressed in spectacular outfits.

NOTE: Tokyo Disney Resort has not done Tanabata since 2019.

My reasoning? 2020-21 was Covid, and even when things got back to normal-ish in 2022, events were significantly scaled down.

Then 2023 was the 40th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland, followed by the grand opening of Fantasy Springs in June 2024.

And July 2025 is the start of Summer  Cool-Off featuring music by Mrs. GREEN APPLE so, yeah…I don’t think we’re getting Tanabata Days for a long time. (At least we still have Halloween!)

With that said, take a look at the very last last Tanabata Days 2019 celebration at Tokyo Disneyland:

Tanabata decorations and wish tree:

For more on Tanabata and other Japanese celebrations, I recommend this book, Japanese Traditions: Rice Cakes, Cherry Blossoms and Matsuri: A Year of Seasonal Japanese Festivities:

Available on Amazon & Amazon Japan

Tanabata, the Star Festival and Day Of Wishes