Looking for Japan’s best summer events? For festivals full of lanterns, parades, beautiful decorations, and other cultural traditions, look no further than Japan’s ancient legends.

Each year, on the seventh of July, two stars appear to dance around each other in the nighttime sky, and in Japan this day is celebrated as the festival of Tanabata (七夕). Japan’s Tanabata story focuses on the lovesick characters of Orihime (the weaver star) and Hikoboshi (the cowherd star), forced apart by Orihime’s father as a tragic personification of two very real stars in the sky – usually called Vega and Altair in the English-speaking world. The legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi comes from the movements of the heavenly bodies above, which only come together in the sky once a year, just like star-crossed lovers – but now that Orihime and Hikoboshi have become the stars of a great romance in Japanese mythology, the 7th of July is a day to celebrate their story. Some even like to call Tanabata a traditional Japanese take on Valentine’s Day, making it a particularly fun day for couples. (Although Japan takes actual Valentine’s Day quite seriously as well!) But anyone can celebrate the holiday in Japan, and many locals like to visit shrines or gather with loved ones to write down their wishes for the year, and hang them on shoots of bamboo in hopes that they come true. Like Japan’s other major festivals throughout the summer, Tanabata events around Japan are fun to check out no matter who you’re with, so you won’t want to miss this summertime holiday!

Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival: Dancers and Much, Much More

The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival is one of the most important Tanabata celebrations in the Kanto region, which means it’s often a destination for those in Tokyo! People arrive from near and far to enjoy a festival packed with traditional ceremonies, parades of impressive floats, Tanabata weddings, stages with a variety of performances, and much more. The three-day event also includes plenty of Japanese festival stalls and classic festival entertainment around Hiratsuka Station, but one of the most notable attractions is a procession of 1,000 dancers, who dress in yukata and make their way through the streets below the colorful festival decorations!

Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival (湘南ひらつか七夕まつり)
Address: Hiratsuka Station Area, Kanagawa
Dates: early July
Access: Hiratsuka Station
Official Website (jp)

Sendai Tanabata Festival: Colorful Streamers in All Directions

The Sendai Tanabata celebration has been held since the time of Date Masamune, who became the first lord of the Sendai area in the 17th century, and these days Sendai chooses to go by the lunar calendar and hold the festival during the more traditional period of early August! But this late-season festival makes a great finale, since it’s probably the biggest Tanabata celebration in the country, flooded with countless festival-goers who arrive to see the striking riot of color created every year. Many Tanabata Festivals are decorated with colorful streamers, and in Sendai the streets and shopping arcades are lushly hung with a myriad of vivid streamers and paper decorations fluttering in the wind, the product of hard-working locals who transform the area into a scene straight from the Japanese fairytales. The festival even includes a large-scale fireworks display in Sendai the night before Tanabata is celebrated – it’s a perfect time to check out this city in Japan’s northern Tohoku region.

Sendai Tanabata Festival (仙台七夕まつり)
Address: Sendai City Center, Miyagi
Dates: early August
Access: Sendai Station
Official Website (jp)

Asagaya Tanabata Festival: An Intersection of Traditional and Pop Culture

The Asagaya Tanabata Festival was first held in 1954, and it’s been going strong for more than half a decade since, gaining so much popularity that other festivals have supposedly been created to specifically to compete. Of course, it’s hard to beat the appeal of a festival that has evolved with the times in such a fascinating way! The people of Tokyo’s Asagaya neighborhood have taken advantage of the Japanese Tanabata tradition of large paper lanterns, and they use the art form to show off some extremely modern creations. From anime and movie characters, to athletes, political figures, cute animals and more, visitors love the festival for the huge variety of unique paper lanterns! If you’re interested in seeing how the decorations have changed over the years, from (slightly) more traditional lanterns to the modern ones we see today, the festival’s web page includes links to great galleries from past years’ celebrations.

Asagaya Tanabata Festival (阿佐谷七夕まつり)
Address: Asagaya Station, 3-1-20 Asagaya, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Dates: early August
Access: Asagaya Station
Official Website (jp)

Whether you’re writing down your wishes or just soaking in the starlit festivities, Tanabata offers a magical glimpse into Japan’s summer traditions. If you’re in Japan during July or August, go find your nearest celebration!

Or, if you want some other fun things to do in Japan this summer, hop on a train to enjoy beautiful hydrangeas, see some of the world’s best fireworks, or take a trip down to Okinawa.

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