Star crossed Japanese lovers, Hikoboshi and Orihime, are separated by the Milky Way and according to the legend can meet only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
Starry-eyed fans of Tanabata, the festival that celebrates them, get ready as events start rolling in on evening of July 7th.
Kids age 3 to 10 (accompanied by parents) are invited to Japan Society in New York for Japan’s Star Festival: Storytelling & Create Tanabata Decorations on July 15, 2012 at 2 PM.
Want some fresh air, head for the Portland (Oregon) Japanese Garden on Saturday, July 7, 2012 from 1 to 3 pm for activities including “music of Tokyo-born guitarist Toshi Onizuka, storytelling, and making origami ornaments.”
Not afraid of big crowds, the Sendai Tanabata Festival attracts up to 2 million visitors.
In Kyoto, from August 4 to August 13, along the Kamogawa River, highlights will include a bamboo ans light walkway (pictured above).
Under the stars for Tokyo Thursdays # 237
(* Image above from Kyoto City official Tanabata event website)