Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
Miyagi · Lantern festival
Thousands of handmade paper decorations hung the length of Sendai's covered shopping streets for three days in August.
Dates
6 to 8 August 2027
Held every year from 6 to 8 August.
Most Tanabata festivals happen on 7 July. Sendai keeps to the old lunar calendar and holds its own a month later, which is one reason it grew into the largest in Japan. The decorations are made by hand each year by the shops themselves, from washi paper, and each is a set of streamers hanging from a bamboo pole up to five metres long. They are judged, and the shops compete. Because the main streets are covered arcades, this is one of the few big summer festivals that rain does not spoil.
Getting a good spot
The arcades are busiest in the afternoon. Going in the first hour after the decorations go up, or in the last hour of the day, gives you room to look up without being carried along by the crowd.
Where it happens
Access
Common questions
When is Sendai Tanabata?
From 6 to 8 August every year, a month later than most Tanabata festivals because Sendai follows the old lunar calendar.
What happens if it rains?
The main streets are covered arcades, so the decorations stay up and the festival continues. That makes it a safer choice than most outdoor summer festivals.