Summer Fireworks & Yukata Festival: Sendai Tanabata Matsuri Kicks Off on August 6

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin; compiled and reported. Information provided by Moleskine Editorial Department.

As Lunar July approaches, among traditional folk festivals—aside from honoring ancestors—the annual Chinese Valentine’s Day, “Tanabata,” also arrives this month. Though Tanabata originated in China, the 700-year-old “Sendai Tanabata Matsuri” in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, has grown into such a grand event that it is now one of the Tohoku region’s Four Great Festivals, attracting over a million domestic and international visitors every year. This year’s Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is scheduled to take place from August 6 to 8. During the festival, not only will green bamboo poles and vibrant, giant paper decorations be hung across locations like Sendai Station and Ichibancho Shopping Street, but on the evening before the event—August 5 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM—a “Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival” will be held around Sendai Nishiki Park, featuring an anticipated 16,000 fireworks. Locals will also don summer yukata to join in the festivities. Travelers who love Japanese festivals will get to experience the thrill of rubbing shoulders with two to three million people and immersing themselves in a traditional Japanese street fair.

Each year during the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri, around 3,000 green bamboo poles are erected along major shopping streets such as Sendai Station and the central thoroughfares of Aoba District, including Chuo-dori and Ichibancho-dori. These poles are adorned with splendid, eye-catching giant paper decorations. These meticulously crafted ornaments, which flutter in the wind, are the result of great effort and creativity by various businesses each year. They feature what look like colorful orbs at the top and long, flowing paper streamers hanging beneath, adding even more lively and festive energy to the streets. For three consecutive evenings, performances including parades are held on Sendai’s famous Jozenji Street, where dozens of groups comprising about 2,000 participants perform dynamic dances and music, injecting even more energy into the Tanabata Festival.

In addition, the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is the most important sales season for the local shopping streets. Shoppers looking for retail therapy should not miss the Ichibancho shopping district in downtown Sendai, which includes areas such as SunMall Ichibancho and Boulevard Ichibancho. This district is home to numerous high-end fashion boutiques, gourmet restaurants, and lifestyle pop-up shops. It is not only the busiest shopping street in Sendai but also the most bustling entertainment hub in the Tohoku region.

The Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is one of the more serene of the Tohoku Four Great Festivals, with a history that spans 700 years. It is said that after the legend of Tanabata was introduced to Japan, it evolved into a courtly custom centered on aristocrats, focused on praying for the improvement of skills—considered a prototype of the current Tanabata Festival. Among the giant paper decorations of the Tanabata Festival, there are roughly seven main types. First, paper kimono are offerings specially dedicated to the weaving goddess by Orihime, symbolizing her wish to improve her sewing skills. Paper strips (short tsuki) are used to pray for academic progress. The fukinagashi (streamers), the stars of Tanabata decorations, feature five colored threads representing the weaving threads of Orihime. The fishing net (amikazari), made of washi paper, is used to pray for a bountiful catch and to gather the year's good fortune. Thousand origami cranes (senbazuru) are folded to pray for the longevity of family elders. The chikara-zaru (waste-basket decoration), made from leftover paper scraps, symbolizes cleanliness and thrift. Finally, the kuzuhazushi (pouch decoration) is used to pray for wealth and to foster a spirit of saving.

● Extended Reading: Office Workers Turned Travel Experts – Million-Dollar Prize for Top 100 Travelers

http://goo.gl/U3IaT