Tanabata at Daijingu Shrine

Tanabata, or the Star Festival, is held on July 7th every year in Japan. Legend has it, that two stars were lovers and separated by the Milky Way. They are allowed to meet up once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month (though some areas of Japan celebrate this on August 7th, which is closer to the true lunar calendar). Anyway, the custom is to write down a wish and hang it on a bamboo tree, then it will come true. These decorations are everywhere this time of year, but the Daijingu Shrine in Tokyo is known for its tanabata display, so we ventured there on July 7th to check it out.

It was a rainy, but warm summer day.

There were thousands of “wishes” already hung on the trees in different colored paper. It was really beautiful. 

Adventure buddies! 

The shrine grounds are always to maintained to perfection. 

The girls really wanted to make a wish. You could choose one of these beautifully made slips of paper to write down your wish.

They knew exactly what they wanted. 

A castle and a crochet set. Haha!  

We then walked the area a bit. We just love finding streets like this and exploring them.

We even had an empty train for a few stops. This was definitely a Tokyo first! 

We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonald’s, before heading home. The Happy Meal’s here come with corn or fries. The girls love the corn.

The toys are pretty useful too, and you can choose which one you want. Ella chose a small bento box, complete with a fork and spoon. Cute!

I also love how there is a drain for leftover drinks and ice at the garbage area. 

We always pass through this mall after we get off the train. More tanabata! The girls were thrilled to make two wishes in one day! 

Now, we have to wait and see if they come true……