Make a wish upon a star (or on bamboo) at Tanabata, Japanese star festival!

Tanabata is based on the legend of Orihime (“Princess Weaver”) and and Hikoboshi (“Divine Cowherd”), star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way. Each year on the evening of July 7th, they are allowed to reunite for one night only under a clear sky. 

In Japan, Tanabata is celebrated by decorating bamboo branches with origami ornaments and tanzaku, small strips of paper where poems and wishes are written. 

For our First Saturday Family Day on July 1st, you are invited to write your wishes and poems on tanzaku and tie them on bamboo sticks in the garden. The Tanabata Festival will also feature a performance by Seattle Kokon Taiko, a demonstration by Seibu-Ryu Iai Battojutsu, a local Japanese sword group, and origami-folding lessons from P.A.P.E.R. Origami.

The Tateuchi Community Room will be open for visitors to enjoy complimentary tea, and an art exhibit by the Roosevelt High School Photography students featuring stunning images of the Japanese Garden.

Photo courtesy of Rumi Tsuchihashi