*NOTICE: Due to concern over coronavirus, the Sendai Tanabata Festival has been suspended for 2020. For details, see here.

Held every year on August from 6 to 8, the Sendai Tanabata Festival is held. It is the largest Tanabata celebration in the entire country, with over two million visitors attending each year! The Tanabata holiday is based on Japanese legend in which a separated couple, represented by two stars in the sky, are able to meet once a year in the summer. While most Tanabata festivals in Japan are typically held in July, the celebration in Sendai takes place on the same dates every year in August.

The Sendai Tanabata Festival is known for its gorgeous, colorful decorations on display across the entire downtown area of Sendai. The event is so famous that it is known as one of the Three Great Festivals of Tohoku, along with by Akita's Kanto Festival and Aomori's Nebuta Festival. Visitors can walk through the beautiful streamers and take Instagram-worthy photos against the backdrop of vivid decorations and bustling city streets. A large fireworks display typically kicks off the event on the evening of August 5. Food stalls, carnival game booths, and the like are set up throughout downtown Sendai.

This is the ultimate celebration of Japanese Tanabata tradition, so don't miss out on these three days of food, fun, and breathtaking decorations!