Festival season really picks up in July and August and we managed to come across the very visually spectacular festival “tanabata” last week. Tanabata literally means the night of the seventh, and it's also known as the star festival. Tanabata is supposed to take place on the seventh day of the seventh month but this festival had been running for a week and showed no sign of slowing down. The streets were decorated with great big streamers and paper balls. In this area one whole street, about two kilometres long, was lined with these streamers. Spectacular.
People also take the opportunity of tanabata to write their wishes on paper and hang them on bamboo branches. They also make any number of paper decorations and hang them up outside their houses and shops. Some of the folded papers were very intricate.
People also take the opportunity of tanabata to write their wishes on paper and hang them on bamboo branches. They also make any number of paper decorations and hang them up outside their houses and shops. Some of the folded papers were very intricate.
While a traditional festival there is still room for others to join in and on one of the side streets there was a line of Harleys ready to roar down the street (after the marching girls). Some of the decoration and time that has obviously gone into these machines is staggering.
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