July in Japan means Tanabata, a little holiday that falls on the 7th, which literally means "evening of the seventh." It's the one night where the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi are able to meet over the Milky Way. Even though it fell on the 26th, the Tanabata Matsuri (festival) in Ogawamachi, Saitama was one of the biggest summer omatsuri that I've been to so far in Japan. Ogawamachi is about 2 hours away from Tokyo - big suburban area which is a nice change from the busy city life. The festival was so colorful with all the beautiful decorations, the food stands and toys for children. I was even lucky enough to make wash (Japanese paper) for free. And the hand-made life-like Godzilla figure was just something. The local artist that created it was nice enough to let people pull a rope that emits a spray of water from Godzilla's mouth, all the while blasting the classic soundtrack from the original Japanese film from huge speakers.
I think the most special part of attending this festival was wearing the yukata (summer version of the kimono) my grandmother made for my mother. My grandmother is so talented when it comes to sewing and Japanese traditional kimonos and yukatas. I didn't get the chance to wear this pretty handmade yukata last year, so I was excited to wear this to a grand festival.
Are there any special summer events are festivals in your country? I would love to know in the comments!
Thank you so much for all the feedback on my last post! I will be returning comments soon :)
Have a great week ahead!
Love,
Samantha Mariko
