 Image search results - "tanabata" |
JR Asagaya Station is slightly decorated with Tanabata streamers.
|
|
JR Asagaya Station during the Tanabata Matsuri in early Aug. Get out the south (minami) exit of the station.
|
|
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.
|
|
The Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri started in 1954 by local merchants to attract more customers.
|
|
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.
|
|
Inside Asagaya Pearl Center during Tanabata Matsuri in early Aug.
|
|
The tanabata decorations were quite impressive.
|
|
The Asagaya Tanabata Festival is characterized by these giant characters hanging above, making it pretty unique.
|
|
The festival attracts a huge crowd, and the decorations have much improved since the last time I saw this years ago.
|
|
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.
|
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
|
Asagaya Tanabata is unique to have the year's popular characters and themes among the decorations. Moomin
|
|
Flatfish
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
|
Space shuttle was included because of Wakata Koichi who stayed in space for a few months in 2009.
|
|
|
Pikachu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anpan Man
|
|
|
|
|
|
At the end of the arcade, there is an outdoor shopping mall going to the main road.
|
|
Umbrellas
|
|
|
|
|
JR Fussa Station on the JR Ome Line is decorated with tanabata streamers during Aug. 6-9.
|
|
JR Fussa Station
|
|
JR Fussa Station. Go out the West (Nishiguchi) exit for the Tanabata Matsuri.
|
|
Right outside the west exit of Fussa Station was this helpful information booth, offering free maps and info about the festival.
|
|
Area in front of Fussa Station's west exit.
|
|
Tanabata decorations on the west side of Fussa Station.
|
|
Fussa's biggest event is the Fussa Tanabata Matsuri. The 59th festival was held during Aug. 6-9, 2009. I visited on Aug. 9, 2009.
|
|
Ekimae-dori road had outdoor tanabata decorations. In fact, there are no indoor arcade areas for tanabata in Fussa.
|
|
Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
MJ who died in June 2009.
|
|
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.
|
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
|
Japan's largest Tanabata Matsuri is in Sendai. Tanabata in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa and Asagaya in Tokyo are also well known.
|
|
Quite a few people wore yukata.
|
|
|
A band parade by local school children.
|
|
Making their way through Ekimae-dori.
|
|
|
Fussa manhole depicting tanabata festival in Tokyo.
|
|
Another road with tanabata decorations in Fussa was this Ginza-dori road, also outdoors.
|
|
|
The decorations on Ginza-dori were more creative.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael Jackson tribute in Aug. 2009, Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo. Very good likeness.
|
|
On the reverse side of MJ, was Barack Obama, Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Barack Obama at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo. A very good likeness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chinese-style tanabata decoration.
|
|
|
|
|
Anpan Man of course. What would a tanabata festival be without this character?
|
|
|
|
|
We also saw a mini samba parade promoting a college wrestling event.
|
|
Mini samba parade at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
Samba dancer at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri, Tokyo
|
|
|
|
Entrance to the Daiichi Elementary School.
|
|
Daiichi Elementary School had a stage for performances, etc. There were numerous performers every day of the festival.
|
|
|
|
|
Brass band parafe by Self-Defense Force.
|
|
Tanabata Galaxy Street had food stalls.
|
|
|
Around Aug. 7, the Tanabata Matsuri Star Festival is held along Paseo Road, a short walk from the east side of Fukushima Station.
|
|
|
|
Paseo Road Tanabata Matsuri, Fukushima
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster for Bunka-dori Tanabata Matsuri.
|
|
Paseo Road also intersects with Bunka-dori road which also has its own Tanabata Matsuri with bamboo branches hung with wishes.
|
|
Bunka-dori road Tanabata Matsuri
|
|
|
|
Children's wishes for Tanabata Matsuri on Bunka-dori Road.
|
|
|
|
Tanabata decorations in Hikone in early Aug.
|
|
Tanabata decorations in Hikone.
|
|
Tanabata decorations in Hikone.
|
|
Tanabata decorations in Hikone.
|
|
During the Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival, JR Hiratsuka Station on the Tokaido Line is festooned with Tanabata decorations.
|
|
JR Hiratsuka Station. Most of these pictures were taken in July 2004.
|
|
Outside JR Hiratsuka Station
|
|
Held for four days from the first Thursday of July, this is one of the largest Tanabata Festivals in the Kanto region. Usually called the Star Festival, about 3,000 colorful streamers hang all around the city center in the shopping district.
|
|
Tanabata decoration for Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji).
|
|
Until 2008, the festival used to be held on and around July 7, but now it is held for four days from the first Thursday of July. Depending on the year, July 7 might not fall within the festival period.
|
|
Many Tanabata decorations feature current themes such as Japan's athletes going to the Olympics (in Athens in 2004 when this photo was taken).
|
|
Japanese Olympians going to Athens in 2004.
|
|
The Tanabata streamers are made by local businesses who may spend a few hundred thousand to a few million yen to make these decorations. They compete in a contest and the winners receive good publicity.
|
|
The 1st Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri was held in July 1951. Started by local merchants. Most Tanabata Matsuri in Japan are held in Aug. which is closer to the original July 7 date on the lunar calendar.
|
|
July 7 is also during Japan's rainy season, so it is unusual to see Tanabata on July 7. As you can see here, it did rain a bit. The festival is now held by the city government.
|
|
In 1993, the festival was renamed from Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri to Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri. "Shonan" which is the beachside area in and around Kamakura.
|
|
In Japanese, these decorations are called take-kazari (literally bamboo decorations) since they are supported by bamboo poles. 竹飾り
|
|
|
|
|
Very intricate streamers at Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri in early July.
|
|
|
Baseball coach Nagashima Shigeo and judoist Tamura Ryoko
|
|
|
|
These four beautiful streamers represent the four seasons, from left to right, spring, summer, fall, and winter.
|
|
|
|
Inside one of the streamers. See the origami cranes.
|
|
|
Signboard explaining the concept of the four-season streamers.
|
|
Spring
|
|
|
|
Kitajima Kosuke, breastroke swimmer who won gold at Athens.
|
|
Ai-chan, table tennis player
|
|
Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival
|
|
There are about 80 large Tanabata streamers on the main street called Shonan Star Mall.
|
|
You are not allowed to pull on the streamers or tear off any parts.
|
|
|
|
|
Very creative.
|
|
This Tanabata decoration is made of plastic PET bottles.
|
|
Tanabata decoration made of plastic PET bottles.
|
|
|
Snow White in Tanabata
|
|
They also have a Tanabata dance parade along the main street led by the Shonan Hiratsuka Orihime weavers. 湘南ひらつか織り姫.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tanabata originally had girls write their wishes for romance on strips of paper like these. They hung the paper on bamboo branches. Eventually, they used colored paper and the custom morphed into paper streamer decorations which we see today.
|
|
Write your wish for love here.
|
|
|
Food stalls abound.
|
|
The Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri also provides night illumination. This is something which the Tanabata Festival in Sendai does not do.
|
|
|
|
Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri poster for 2004.
|
|
Held annually during Aug. 6-8, the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri is Japan's largest, grandest, and most famous Tanabata Festival. Commonly called the Star Festival, Tanabata Matsuri features large colorful, streamer decorations (called take-kazari).
|
|
I arrived in Sendai on Aug. 4, 2009, two days before the festival, and Sendai Station here was already decorated with these huge tanabata streamers. Very impressive.
|
|
Many of the Tanabata streamers are quite commercial, with sponsors prominently displayed on the streamers.
|
|
Inside Sendai Station's west side. A great greeting for visitors to Sendai during Tanabata Matsuri.
|
|
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.
|
|
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).
|
|
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.
|
|
In Sendai, famous daimyo Date Masamune had the warrior and merchant classes observe the Star Festival.
|
|
During the Tohoku Industrial Expo in 1928, the forerunner of today's Tanabata Festival was held. Sendai merchants strived to uphold the tradition, resulting in today's elaborate and gaudy Tanabata decorations.
|
|
According to the legend, the original date of Tanabata is July 7 according to the lunar calendar which is about a month behind the calendar we use today. Some places hold the festival on July 7 to match the original, numeric date.
|
|
You can see Tanabata in various locations (smaller scale) in Japan such as Hiratsuka in Kanagawa held around July 7 and Asagaya and Fussa in Tokyo around Aug. 7.
|
|
Inside Sendai Station is a large information booth where you can obtain maps and pamphlets of Sendai and Tanabata Matsuri.
|
|
Tanabata decorations at the entrance of Sendai Station.
|
|
It rained sometimes during the Tanabata Festival since the Tohoku region was still in the rainy season.
|
|
Tanabata decorations outside S-PAL, a shopping complex next to Sendai Station.
|
|
The pedestrian overpass connected to Sendai Station is also decorated.
|
|
On Aug. 4, two days before the start of Tanabata Festival, the shopping arcades already had these bamboo poles with ropes set up.
|
|
Pieces of bamboo hung from the ropes on bamboo poles.
|
|
Sendai's shopping arcades were obviously designed for tanabata decorations. There are eyelets or hooks for ropes on the ceiling.
|
|
The walls also have eyelets/hooks for ropes to support the bamboo poles.
|
|
This large tanabata bamboo was being set up on Aug. 4.
|
|
Drilling
|
|
Attaching ropes. The decorations will later be attached to these ropes.
|
|
Hoisting up the bamboo support pole.
|
|
On the evening of Aug. 5, the Tanabata Festival Eve, a fireworks display is held at Nishi Koen Park. Here are many girls in yukata waiting for friends at Sendai Station to see the fireworks.
|
|
Nishi Park in Sendai is full of people on fireworks night.
|
|
|
|
This road was filled with people as well for the fireworks.
|
|
|
Sendai Tanabata Fireworks on Aug. 5, 7:30 pm to 9 pm. It was impressive. The theme was "Ring of Love."
|
|
On the morning of Aug. 6, the first day of Sendai Tanabata, shop owners started to set up their tanabata bamboo decorations from around 8 am to 9 am.
|
|
One bamboo pole has several decorations and each one hangs on a rope.
|
|
Setting up Tanabata bamboo decorations.
|
|
|
This decoration had little owl-shaped paper balloons. These girls are blowing air into the balloons with a straw. Sendai Tanabata.
|
|
Attaching the ball to the body of the decoration.
|
|
The decorations usually arrive in huge plastic bags, especially the outdoor ones. This is the Fujisaki decoration.
|
|
When the decorations are unpacked or unraveled, they are freshened up.
|
|
These people are spreading the wings of the origami cranes.
|
|
|
The decorations can cost thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars (US$). (Hundreds of thousands of yen or a few million yen.)
|
|
After the festival ends, many of these decorations are discarded. But some are donated to a shopping arcade in Fukuoka (Kyushu).
|
|
Many decorations are really advertisements. But others have no ads and they are splendid. Keep in mind that the Tanabata Festival was started by local merchants, so it has commercial roots. It's not a religious event.
|
|
Tanabata Matsuri is held in many parts of Japan, usually in shopping arcades to draw customers. The more famous ones are in Hiratsuka in Kanagawa and Asagaya in Tokyo.
|
|
By 10 am on the first day of Aug. 6, most all of the Tanabata decorations were set up. Large crowds soon followed.
|
|
The shopping arcades on the west side of Sendai Station is where the Tanabata decorations are. The main arcades where you can see the streamers are basically on two arcade roads: Chuo-dori and Ichibancho-dori. They intersect at a T-intersection.
|
|
The Chuo-dori arcade is about 750 meters long. Although this arcade is a straight and continuous road, it is actually consists of three seamless arcades named Hapina Nakakecho (ハピナ名掛丁), Clis Road, and Marble Road Omachi.
|
|
This is the Hapina Nakakecho arcade. "Hapina" stands for "Heartful Amenity Place Interfaced Natural Arcade." It also refers to "happy." When the Japanese create a new name, they love puns.
|
|
This was my second time to see Sendai Tanabata. The first time was quite some time ago. I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed.
|
|
The take-kazari bamboo decorations were marvelous. A myriad of designs and variety. Paper was the main material used to make all these decorations, unlike the predominant plastic found at other Tamabata Festivals in Japan.
|
|
These decorations cannot be massed produced, all one of a kind.
|
|
|
During the morning of Aug. 6 the first day, a team of judges wearing a white cap and yellow shirt proceed through the decorations for judging. Dressed in pink is the back is one of the three Sendai Goodwill Ambassadors (not Miss Tanabata).
|
|
The decorations are given awards such as the Gold and Silver Awards. The winners are announced later in the day, and the winning decorations are tagged with the awards. This is the Gold Award.
|
|
Silver Award. Besides awards for individual decorations, awards are given to the shopping arcade as a whole for the bext decorations.
|
|
Extravagant Award
|
|
This one was clearly a crowd favorite, and not surprisingly, it won the Outstanding Award.
|
|
It's nearly impossible to define or describe an outstanding decoration, but you know it when you see it.
|
|
|
|
Gold Award + Outstanding Award.
|
|
The crowd take pictures in front of this Outstanding Award decoration.
|
|
Closeups of one of the best take-kazari of 2009.
|
|
|
|
