Otaru Sakaimachi Tanabata Festival

Hosted by the Sakaimachi shopping street association, this festival turns Otaru's historic streetscape into a Tanabata wonderland centered on the courtyard of Otaru Art Base. Highlights include a Japanese-umbrella "Starfall Corridor," a Milky Way light-up tunnel, a riverside-style beer garden, a Tanabata izakaya, stage shows, bingo, candy scattering, Bon dancing and a kids' haunted house, drawing both locals and tourists.