Home > TOKYO 東京都 > Suginami-ku 杉並区 > Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri Festival 2009 阿佐谷七夕まつり

at050-20090809_2843.jpg
JR Asagaya Station is slightly decorated with Tanabata streamers.
at051-20090809_2845.jpg
JR Asagaya Station during the Tanabata Matsuri in early Aug. Get out the south (minami) exit of the station.
at052-20090809_2851.jpg
For five days centering on Aug. 7, a shopping arcade called Asagaya Pearl Center holds the Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri featuring colorful streamers and popular characters festooning the shops. These photos were taken in Aug. 2009.
at053-20090809_2852.jpg
The Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri started in 1954 by local merchants to attract more customers.
at054-20090809_2854.jpg
Entrance to Asagaya Pearl Center. Originally, it had no roof. But in 1962, a roof was built, making it indoors and convenient for tthe tanabata festival.
at055-20090809_2857.jpg
Inside Asagaya Pearl Center during Tanabata Matsuri in early Aug.
at056-20090809_2861.jpg
The tanabata decorations were quite impressive.
at057-20090809_2864.jpg
The Asagaya Tanabata Festival is characterized by these giant characters hanging above, making it pretty unique.
at058-20090809_2874.jpg
The festival attracts a huge crowd, and the decorations have much improved since the last time I saw this years ago.
at059-20090809_2880.jpg
The festival is said to have originated from a Star Festival in China. According to Chinese legend, east of the Milky Way there was a Heavenly King whose daughter worked as a weaver. However, when she married a herdsman, she quit weaving.
at060-20090809_2885.jpg
This angered her father who banished the herdsman to the other side of the Milky Way. He allowed the two to meet only once a year on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month (according to the lunar calendar).
at061-20090809_2889.jpg
The weaver is represented by the Vega star and the herdsman by the Altair star. As a prayer to produce better arts and crafts, the Imperial Court and the warrior class paid homage to these two stars from ancient times. This practice spread to the masses.
at062-20090809_2892.jpg
Asagaya Tanabata is unique to have the year's popular characters and themes among the decorations. Moomin
at063-20090809_2896.jpg
Flatfish
at064-20090809_2901.jpg
at065-20090809_2905.jpg
at066-20090809_2913.jpg
at067-20090809_2914.jpg
at068-20090809_2921.jpg
at069-20090809_2924.jpg
at070-20090809_2927.jpg
at071-20090809_2930.jpg
Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri
at072-20090809_2931.jpg
at073-20090809_2933.jpg
at074-20090809_2934.jpg
at075-20090809_2935.jpg
at076-20090809_2938.jpg
at077-20090809_2941.jpg
at078-20090809_2943.jpg
at079-20090809_2944.jpg
at080-20090809_2949.jpg
Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
at081-20090809_2950.jpg
at082-20090809_2951.jpg
Space shuttle was included because of Wakata Koichi who stayed in space for a few months in 2009.
at083-20090809_2953.jpg
at084-20090809_2954.jpg
Pikachu
at085-20090809_2956.jpg
at086-20090809_2960.jpg
at087-20090809_2964.jpg
at088-20090809_2965.jpg
at089-20090809_2967.jpg
Anpan Man
at090-20090809_2970.jpg
at091-20090809_2972.jpg
at092-20090809_2974.jpg
at093-20090809_2978.jpg
At the end of the arcade, there is an outdoor shopping mall going to the main road.
at094-20090809_2982.jpg
Umbrellas
at095-20090809_2984.jpg
at096-20090809_2986.jpg
Also see my YouTube video here.
at097-20090809_2987.jpg
Also see photos of the Sendai Tanabata here.
48 files on 1 page(s)