Tanabata festival in Japan: the star festival

When the summer comes, the cities of Japan are starting to be decorated with little multicoloured papers on the bamboos waving in the wind. As like the Ema, small wooden plates on which we write the wish that we find in the temples and shrines, the coloured papers of Tanabata are also suspended with the wishes of the people of the region.
 

One of the most famous Tanabata in Japan is the Nebuta matsuri festival, takes place in the north of Japan in Tohoku and this festival appeals the thousands of people every year. As this legend is linked to the stars, people wish also the good weather for the harvest. It is associated with another traditional festival of Japan, the Toro nagashi, dedicated to the journey of the Beyond, and healing the ills. In this occasion, the big lanterns toro, made by Washi paper (Japanese paper produced since the 7th century), representing a samurai and also a caracter of the Chinese literature. Those two giant lanterns of 5m of height surrounded by the dancers called haneto enhancing the festival with the traditonal musics.