Anjo Tanabata Festival

Held every early August around JR Anjo Station in Anjo City, Aichi, this is one of Japan's three great Tanabata festivals along with Sendai and Hiratsuka. The 73rd edition in 2026 runs over three days from August 7 to 9, with thousands of colorful bamboo decorations and streamers lining the station streets and shopping arcades, beautifully illuminated at night. Under the theme of being number one in Japan for wishes, visitors write their hopes on paper strips, pray at Anjo Tanabata Shrine, and enjoy citizen parades, stage events, yosakoi dancing, and countless food stalls. It draws over a million visitors and is one of central Japan's signature summer festivals.