Sendai's Tanabata Festival, one of Tohoku's three famous summer festivals, runs from August 6th-8th. The main attractions are the covered shopping arcades that are decorated with hundreds and hundreds of paper kushidama that hang from bamboo poles and cascade toward the ground in a swirling mess of color. Everything from anime characters to paper cranes to carefully crafted washi paper flowers decorate the streamers, which run for nearly 2 kilometers through the center of the city. The route begins just minutes from JR Sendai Station, though you'll find numerous other decorations scattered throughout the city itself.
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Sendai's Tanabata Festival 2014
A visual tour of Sendai's Star Festival
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Justin Velgus
9 years ago
As a Sendai local I wanted to remind readers of two points. First, Tanabata happens throughout Japan around July 7th, but, as you noted, August 6th to 8th in Sendai. Second, Sendai's Tanabata is the most famous but won't find many concerts, parades, or the traditional festival atmosphere. For that you should come see the Aoba Festival. The Tanabata Festival mostly consists of these very beautiful decorations found in the liveliest part of the shopping arcades.
Jeradyne Cheong
9 years ago
So colourful!
This is one of my favorite Japanese festivals. I am so glad I made it to Sendai to see it!
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