P embraced his Tatsuki last night for his first Japanese festival, Tanabata. Traditionally, Japanese people dress in yukata for summer festivals. P. Tatsuki fit right in with his baby yukata.
Totemo kawaii!! He is all ready for the festival but on the way he fell asleep. He didn't really enjoy the loud drums and bright lights. It interrupted his slumber. A little too young for a festival. 
Tanabata means the "evening of the seventh" and it is the Japanese star festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. The date of celebrations in Japan vary but start on July 7 and go through August. In Hachinohe the festival involves lots of standard summer festival food stalls and drumming. Traditionally people write wishes on paper and hang them on bamboo stalks (see photo below.)
It was good to get in one last Japanese summer festival. We enjoyed eating salted cucumbers, miso mochi and okonomiyaki. We were surprised to hear many "harros" in the crowd from our students.
A nice summer evening in Japan.
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