Sendai Tanabata Festival

The Sendai Tanabata Festival is one of Japan’s most celebrated summer festivals, held annually from August 6 to 8. Rooted in the ancient legend of Tanabata, it tells the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi, star-crossed lovers represented by the stars Vega and Altair, who are allowed to meet just once a year across the Milky Way.

Distinct from other major summer festivals like Aomori’s Nebuta or Akita’s Kantō, which are rituals to send off the gods, the Sendai Tanabata Festival welcomes the tanokami, or rice field deity. In a region historically affected by cold-weather crop failures and famine, people once turned to this deity for protection and a bountiful harvest. These prayers remain at the heart of the festival’s meaning today.

Sendai becomes a city of colour during Tanabata. Its signature decorations, called kazari, are massive paper streamers and ornaments suspended from bamboo poles, most famously filling the downtown shopping arcades. Among them, the kusudama – brightly decorated ornamental balls – stand out. Inspired by the flowers in his garden, local resident Mori Gongorō first created the modern form of kusudama in the postwar era, and they have since become a beloved symbol of the festival’s resilience and beauty.

The festival officially begins on the evening of August 5 with a grand fireworks display over the Hirose River. Visitors can enjoy performances, traditional dances, music, and theatrical acts throughout the city. One of the highlights is the Tanabata parade, featuring vibrant floats and local performers.

People of all ages join in writing wishes on colourful strips of paper called tanzaku, which are hung on bamboo branches with hopes that they will come true.