Hundreds of people—many wearing kimonos and other traditional Japanese clothing—gathered to celebrate the annual Tanabata Festival held by the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park in San Diego on July 7.
Also known as the “Star Festival,” the event originates from Chinese culture and celebrates the one day a year star-crossed lovers, Orihime, a weaver, and her beloved Hikoboshi, a cowherd—embodied by the stars Vega and Altair—come together after being separated by the Milky Way.
Guests at the Balboa Park Japanese Friendhsip Garden play games and activities for the annual Tanabata Festival in San Diego, Calif., on July 7, 2023. (Julianne Foster/The Epoch Times)
The Southern California Koto Ensemble performs on cultural stringed instruments for the Tanabata Festival in the Balboa Park Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego, Calif., on July 7, 2023. (Julianne Foster/The Epoch Times)
The festival featured family-friendly games, crafts, and activities for all ages at the top of the garden’s hill—which represents the friendship between San Diego and its Japanese sister city Yokohama, according to the Balboa Park website….