Kids Web Japan

©Yoko Shibata

Tanabata is a festival that is celebrated every year on July 7 (or August 7 in some places). When this time of year comes around, people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo trees, along with decorations. You can see this almost everywhere.

This time, Kids Web Japan has chosen a story that relates to the Tanabata festival. While there are stories that are similar to Tanabata in many Asian countries, the Japanese version of the story is a mixture of a Chinese legend and local beliefs, so the story is told differently in different areas of Japan. Tanabata is also known as the story of Altair (the Cowherd Star) and Vega (the Weaver Star).

If you want to learn more about Tanabata, click here.