Sendai Tanabata Festival kicks off with display of prayers for Noto

Sendai –

The Sendai Tanabata Festival began in Sendai on Tuesday, beginning with the hanging of decorations with prayers for areas affected by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture.

The festival, known as one of the three biggest festivals in the Tohoku region, will continue until Thursday. Tanzaku Paper decorations with messages wishing for the resumption of daily life in the region affected by the Noto earthquake are on display.

In addition to Tanzaku decorations orizuru The festival also features paper cranes fukinagashi streamers. Each fukinagashi set consists of five streamers. According to the Sendai Tanabata Festival Support Association, there are about 260 large fukinagashi sets longer than 3 meters this year.

The association decided to create fukinagashi to be rebuilt in the Noto area and collected donations through a crowdfunding project from May to July.

In July, he held a meeting to make fukinagashi and invited donors. Tanzaku decorations with uplifting messages such as “It’s okay to smile and cry” were added below the fukinagashi.

“People from all over Japan helped us after the Great East Japan Earthquake (in March 2011), so I hope to give some (support) back,” said Kumiko Terao, 62, who attended the meeting. “I think many people (in the Noto area) had to leave their hometowns, but I want their hearts to remain strong.”