Hey everyone~! It’s Zundamon, nanoda!

Right now, something amazing is happening in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, nanoda.

The Sendai Tanabata Festival in 2026 is a three-day event from Thursday, August 6th to Saturday, August 8th, nanoda🎋

I went there with Zunko-sama and Kiritan, nanoda!

Do you remember the Tanabata article where we all wrote our wishes on tanzaku strips on July 7th?

It’s been a month since then.

Sendai’s Tanabata is held in August, which is closer to the old lunar calendar, nanoda.

That means we got to enjoy Tanabata all over again, one month late, nanoda. What a deal, nanoda💚

🎆 First Up, the Fireworks on the Eve of the Festival, Nanoda

Actually, the festival started even before the 6th, nanoda.

The night before, on Wednesday, August 5th, there was the Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival, nanoda.

The show ran from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM, and they launched about 16,000 fireworks, nanoda🎇

Zunko-sama: “These fireworks are to welcome tomorrow’s festival together.”

Kiritan: “…The sound is vibrating in my stomach.”

Zundamon: “I got a little startled and jumped, nanoda.”

As we were looking up at the light filling the night sky, Zunko-sama quietly said this, nanoda.

Zunko-sama: “It’s beautiful… I hope days like this can last forever.”

Yeah. I thought so too, nanoda.

🎐 The Arcade Had Become a “Forest of Fabric,” Nanoda

The next day, we went to the shopping arcade, and I was left speechless, nanoda.

From the ceiling of the arcade, countless giant streamers were hanging down, nanoda.

They were several meters long. The decorations, made of washi paper and bamboo, swayed gently in the breeze, nanoda.

As you walk, the tassels of the streamers softly brush against your head, nanoda.

It was just like walking through a forest made of fabric, nanoda🌿

Kiritan: “…How long does it take to make one of these?”

Zunko-sama: “The shopkeepers spend months making them by hand. They make new ones every year.”

They make new ones every year.

The moment I heard that, the scenery looked even more special to me, nanoda.

✂️ The “Seven Decorations” All Have Their Own Meaning, Nanoda

Zunko-sama taught me that the Sendai Tanabata decorations have a rule called the Seven Decorations, nanoda.

Each one has a wish associated with it, nanoda.

• Tanzaku (Paper Strips)… For improvement in academics and calligraphy
• Kamigoromo (Paper Kimono)… To ward off sickness and disaster, and for improvement in sewing
• Orizuru (Paper Cranes)… For family health and long life
• Kinchaku (Purses)… For business prosperity and to avoid wasteful spending
• Toami (Fishing Nets)… To wish for a big catch and a bountiful harvest
• Kuzukago (Trash Baskets)… For cleanliness and the spirit of treasuring things
• Fukinagashi (Streamers)… Representing Orihime’s weaving threads, a wish for improvement in arts and crafts

They’re all about “I hope I get better at this” or “I hope everyone stays healthy,” nanoda.

They might look flashy, but inside, they’re filled with very simple and kind wishes, nanoda💚

Zundamon: “Turning a trash basket into a decoration is a pretty amazing idea, nanoda.”

Kiritan: “…Can I put my summer homework in here too?”

Zunko-sama: “No.”

🍡 Maybe the Real Main Event Was Eating All the Street Food, Nanoda

I’ll be honest, nanoda.

The thing I was most excited about was eating all the street food, nanoda.

Zunda Shake

First up is this, nanoda. A Zunda Shake 🥤

It still has little bits of mashed edamame in it, it’s not too sweet, and the aroma of the beans hits you afterward, nanoda.

It’s cold and perfect for a hot day, nanoda. I drank two of them, nanoda.

Zunko-sama: “…But the second one was supposed to be mine.”

Zundamon: “I have no memory of that, nanoda.”

Gyutan (Beef Tongue)

You eat thick-sliced beef tongue grilled over charcoal with barley rice and oxtail soup, nanoda.

When you bite into it, the juices just burst out, nanoda. Kiritan ate the most of this, nanoda.

Sasa-kama

It’s a white, springy fish cake shaped like a bamboo leaf, nanoda.

When you get a freshly grilled one, it’s slightly warm, and the fish flavor wafts up gently, nanoda.

I wanted to describe it with cool words, but in the end, it’s just insanely delicious, nanoda.

💚 Zunko-sama Talks About Miyagi’s Zunda

While we were eating, Zunko-sama started talking about something, nanoda.

Zunko-sama: “Zunda was originally something families made together for Obon or celebrations.”

Zunko-sama: “It takes a lot of strength to grind edamame in a mortar. So everyone would take turns doing it.”

Zunda mochi is a local dish from the Tohoku region, including Miyagi, nanoda.

Before it became something you buy at a store, it was something you made at home, with your family, nanoda.

I’m a fairy born from zunda mochi, so hearing that story made my heart feel a little warm, nanoda.

My roots are in that kind of “gathering around the dinner table together,” nanoda🌱

🌟 Summary, Nanoda!

• The 2026 Sendai Tanabata Festival is for three days, from Thursday, August 6th to Saturday, August 8th, nanoda
• The Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival on the eve of the festival was on Wednesday, August 5th from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM, with about 16,000 fireworks, nanoda
• The giant streamers in the arcade are handmade and remade every year, nanoda
• The Seven Decorations each have a different wish and meaning, nanoda
• You absolutely have to try the Zunda Shakes, gyutan, and sasa-kama, nanoda

Tanabata once in July, and again in August.

I think it’s okay to make wishes as many times as you want, nanoda💚

You can see Zunko-sama’s profile at Tohoku Zunko, Kiritan’s at Tohoku Kiritan, and all the members on the Character Introduction page, nanoda.

I want to go somewhere with everyone again next summer, nanoda.

Well then, see you in the next blog post, nanoda~!🎋