The Tanabata Festival is a traditional celebration stemming from a folktale about two star-crossed lovers called Orihime and Hikiboshi. The festival is celebrated all over Japan in the months of July and August, but in Akita’s Noshiro city, the Tanabata festivities are amplified by the showcasing of Japan's tallest Tanabata lanterns.
This year, on August 2 and 3, the city streets will come alive with the parades of the impressive lanterns named Chikasue and Karoku. They are 24.1 and 17.6 metres tall respectively. To give you an idea of scale, the former is as tall as a six-storey building.
The Noshiro Tanabata tradition dates back to the Edo period when the lanterns were originally shaped like fortresses. Post World War II, due to the expansion of overhead power lines, their size was reduced. However, the recent underground relocation of these power lines has allowed for the restoration of the grand lanterns, reinstating their glory in Noshiro's skyline since 2013.
Though the parades will take place in early August, the assembly of the lanterns will begin on July 24 in front of Keyaki Park. Once the lanterns have been built, they will be lit up and displayed until the Tanabata Festival rolls around.
Along with the procession of lanterns, the parade will feature a band of taiko drummers, flautists and wasshoi chanters. These artists and musicians will be performing their parts without masks for the first time since the pandemic.
For more information on the Noshiro Tanabata Festival, visit the event website.
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