June

Every summer in Japan, a gentle kind of magic arrives. Streets are strung with streamers, bamboo branches wave with colorful slips of paper, and families quietly pen their dreams to the stars. This is Tanabata, the Star Festival, celebrated each year on the seventh day of the seventh month. In 2025, that means July 7 for much of the Tokyo metro area, though some regions (like Sendai) still follow the lunar calendar and celebrate in early August. Wherever and whenever it’s held, Tanabata is a beloved summer ritual: quiet, joyful, and deeply personal. A Tale Written in the Stars The roots of Tanabata stretch back over 1,000 years, first introduced to Japan in 755 CE through a festival called Kikkōden, itself inspired by the Chinese Qixi Festival. At the heart of Tanabata is a romantic legend about two star-crossed lovers: Orihime (Vega), a princess who wove beautiful cloth on the banks of the Milky Way, and Hikoboshi (Altair), a cowherd tending his celestial herd across the galaxy. The two fell deeply in love, but their devotion caused them to neglect their duties, angering Orihime’s father, the Sky King. He banished them to opposite ends of the Milky Way, allowing them…