Sendai Tanabata Festival

The Sendai Tanabata Festival is when the shopping streets of central Sendai and the surrounding area are decorated with colorful Tanabata decorations. It is affectionately known as "Tanabata-san" by the locals. It is held for three days from August 6 to 8, around July 7 of the lunar calendar. It is a traditional event that has continued for over 400 years. About 2 million people from home and abroad visit this festival every year.

The highlight of the Sendai Tanabata Festival is the gorgeous Tanabata decorations displayed in the arcades around Sendai Station. Giant bamboo over 10 meters high, cut from the mountains, is decorated with "Nanatsu Kazari" decorations made of Japanese paper, which are newly handmade yearly. The delicate Japanese paper decorations fluttering in the wind make us feel cool in the hot summer.

Each of the "Nanatsu kazari" (seven decorations) has a different wish: the tanzaku for further improvement in academics and Japanese calligraphy, the paper garments for good health and progress in sewing, the origami cranes for family safety and longevity, kinchaku for prosperity in business, cast nets for a good catch and harvest, the kuzukago for cleanliness and thrift, and the blow streams representing the weaving thread of the Princess Orihime, it could be fun to find the one that best suits your wish.

Suppose you want to see gorgeous Tanabata decorations. In that case, you must go to Chuo-Dori and Ichibancho-Dori in front of Sendai Station in the city center area. However, you can also see simple and tasteful old-fashioned Tanabata decorations in the shopping streets in the surrounding areas.