The Sendai Tanabata Festival is a unique and romantic summer event that captivates visitors with its vibrant atmosphere.

Held along shopping streets in and around central Sendai, this festival offers an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

The main highlight of the festival is the mesmerizing display of large, colorful streamers that adorn the entire city, eagerly anticipated by the people of Sendai each year.

In preparation for this article, we had the privilege of interviewing the Sendai Tanabata Festival Support Association (Bureau: Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry), gaining valuable insights and expert advice on how to make the most of this enchanting celebration.

The main venue for the festival is the shopping street near Sendai Station, and it will also be held in surrounding areas, saturating the entire city of Sendai with the vibrant colors of Tanabata.

Please refer to the official Sendai Tanabata website for updated information (Japanese and online automatic translations available).

Tanabata is a fabulous traditional event brought over to Japan from ancient China and is a mix of a few cultural points.

Currently, however, the festival is most popularly known in Japan as a summer festival where wishes are written on a strip of paper known as tanzaku, which are then hung up on trees.

The first feudal lord of Sendai, Masamune Date (1567 to 1636 C.E.), promoted the event as a festival to wish for craftwork proficiency and an abundant harvest, resulting in the event being held every year between August 6 to 8 regardless of the day of the week. This charming traditional summer event of Sendai sees about 2 million visitors annually.

One of the most memorable scenes unique to Sendai's Tanabata Festival is the impressive sight of sasakazari - flamboyant paper bamboo leaves decorations suspended from tall places by the sides of the arcade leading out from the West Exit of Sendai Station on the JR Lines.

The drooping leaves, made of colorful Japanese washi paper, are arranged fukinagashi, or windswept-style, and walking in between long rows of them will put anyone in a festive mood.

They represent the earnest wishes for the health and prosperity of the residents who carefully crafted them.

The Sendai Tanabata Festival boasts beautiful and large handmade streamers as its main attraction, each weighing up to five kilograms and costing hundreds of thousands of yen (thousands of dollars) to create. These elaborate decorations, designed by shop owners themselves, offer a firsthand look at the festival's artistic highlights.

In 2020, the cancellation of the Sendai Tanabata Festival, the first since Japan's postwar era, was a heartbreaking decision. However, in keeping with the festival's purpose of celebrating wishes and prayers, shopping streets found creative ways to maintain traditions by selling mini-Tanabata decorations and other trinkets to raise funds for future events while adhering to COVID-19 safety measures.

Beyond preserving traditions, the festival plays a vital role in promoting the city's economic growth. The cancellation of the 2020 festival had a significant impact on the local economy, which was partially revived by the smaller-scale 2021 festival held amidst the pandemic, breathing life back into Sendai's shopping streets.

A festival director recommends a fun game of searching for award-winning streamers throughout the festival. Each year, gold, silver, and bronze awards are presented before noon on the first day, providing an entertaining challenge for visitors to guess which streamers have won and offering delightful surprises along the way.

The most efficient way to ensure you can take in all the sights of the festival is to start from Sendai Station and slowly walk through the paper bamboo leaves-decorated arcade street while making your way toward Kotodai Park.

Other areas in the city will hold festive events or have sasakazari up during this period, so it may be fun to visit them too!

The official website for the festival (https://www.sendaitanabata.com/map) contains a helpful guide map that supports English, Traditional Chinese, and Thai for interested visitors to find out more.

From Sendai Station, take the Nanboku Subway Line for a quick 3-minute ride. Get off at Kōtōdai-Kōen Station and take Park Exit 2 to reach the main venue, Kōtōdai Park Civic Square, known as the "Omatsuri Hiroba" (Festival Square).

At the venue, you'll find stages for singing and dancing performances, as well as a "Wish Tanzaku Writing Corner" where you can write your wishes on paper strips and hang them. Surrounding the area, numerous food stalls offer a taste of Sendai's specialties such as Sendai gyutan (grilled ox tongue) and Miyagi oysters.

As the day turns into evening, you can also experience the quintessential Japanese festival dance called Bon Odori. Even beginners can join in the fun as there are instructions available to learn the dance steps. Don't hesitate to give it a try and immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere.

From Sendai Station, hop onto the Loople Sendai sightseeing bus for a 15-minute ride. Get off at Zuihōden-mae stop, where you'll find Zuihōden, the mausoleum where Date Masamune rests. Here, the Zuihōden Tanabata Night event takes place, embellishing the mausoleum with Tanabata decorations.

As you step off the bus, you'll immediately encounter the stone steps leading to Zuihōden. Along the approach, bamboo lanterns with candles illuminate the path, creating a soft and enchanting ambiance, accompanied by the melodies of the shakuhachi flute. At the entrance to Zuihōden's grounds, you can also admire traditional Tanabata decorations that have been passed down through generations.

Additionally, there are small concerts featuring local artists associated with Miyagi. Take a seat on the provided chairs and enjoy a leisurely performance.

One more must-see night event during the festival period is the Sendai Castle Ruins Night Event. As its name suggests, this event will be held on the Sendai Castle Ruins, a regular Sendai tourist hotspot.

To get there, hop on the Loople Sendai tour bus from Sendai Station. The journey should take about 20 minutes. The Sendai Castle Ruins are what remains of the castle that the Date clan used to live in. Located high on a hill, the view of Sendai city from this vantage point is also a sight to behold.

From 6 to 8 p.m., throughout the festival, a performing arts group known as Oshu Sendai Omotenashi Shudan Date Bushotai will perform an impressive martial arts performance with performers dressed up as Masamune Date. There will also be stage shows featuring Sendai mascot characters from time to time.

Thinking of snapping a selfie? Head over to the popular Equestrian Statue of Masamune Date while it's being illuminated by gorgeous lighting during this period for the best possible shot of the year!

Local residents of Sendai start their festivities on August 5 with the Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival, so look into taking part in that if you want to enjoy the festival the way the locals do it! The venue is in the vicinity of Sendai's West Park, which is within walking distance from Omachi Nishikoen Station, two stations away from Sendai Station via the subway's Tozai Line.

On that night, about 16,000 fireworks will be blasted into the night sky for a dazzling display of pyrotechnics. There will also be stage events, so the site will be filled with many excited concert-goers as well, amping up the mood even further. Since the park offers a marvelous view of the fireworks in action, come early if you want to get a good spot!

On August 6, the sasakazari decorations will be up from around 10 a.m., making the morning hours of this day the perfect time to take a stroll through the city's major streets. From noon to evening, the roads are often jam-packed with visitors and festival participants, so if you're not a fan of crowds or just want to take photos of the sasakazari without being rushed, then definitely go during the morning hours.

When making your way to the Sendai Tanabata Festival, take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Sendai Station.

Once exiting from the Sendai Station West Exit, a shopping street with large streamers greets you. This is where the main streamer decoration venue is located and only takes a short walk to access.

Further past the streamer decoration venue is the main event venue. This site can be accessed by walking through the streamer decoration area or by taking the Sendai Subway.

Many events besides the Sendai Tanabata Festival take place in the vicinity, so we recommend doing a little research before your visit!

(As of January 2024, specific details regarding the events to be held at the Omatsuri Hiroba festival venue are not yet available. Please check official websites for information on other events in the area.)

Boasting one of the most impressive shopping districts in the Tohoku region, the great city of Sendai has many traditional Japanese inns! Accommodation is generally available, but prices may go up during the festival season. The Sendai Station area is especially popular, so we recommend booking rooms in advance!

For those seeking accommodation away from the station, we suggest booking a place along the scenic coastline of Matsushima Bay, renowned as one of Japan's three most picturesque locations. Traveling from Sendai Station to Matsushima-Kaigan Station on the JR Senseki Line takes approximately 40 minutes, granting you access to the stunning vistas that make this area a must-visit for breathtaking views.

The striking streamers found throughout the Sendai Tanabata Festival enhance Sendai City’s beauty. Here you can experience a unique, romantic atmosphere! We also recommend stopping at the Tanabata Museum, operated by KANEZAKI Co., Ltd. (Website available here.)

This museum lets you experience the wonder of the Sendai Tanabata Festival year-round! It’s an exceptional facility for those who want to learn more about streamers - the festival’s main attraction!

Written by: SHOE PRESs/Shitamachi Kizoku (Interview of Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and updates)

*This article was re-edited in May 2023 from its original post in May 2020. For updated information, please refer to the official websites.