"Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival"- Star Festival In Hiratsuka, July 2016

HIRATSUKA, JAPAN - JULY: (NO SALES TO JAPANESE BROADCASTERS) (COMPILATION) (AUDIO OMITTED) Decorations inspired by Kumamon, the popular mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, reflecting the festive and contemporary spirit of the year, from the "66th Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival" held on July, 2016 in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. "Tanabata Festival" is also called the "Star Festival", held in the evening of July seventh, the festival originated from the chinese "Qixi Festival". "Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival" started in 1951 as a symbol of postwar recovery from the devastating air raid that reduced the city in to ruins on the night of July 16–17, 1945, and in 2025, it celebrates its 73rd festival. Now recognized as one of Japan’s three major Tanabata festivals—alongside with those in Sendai and in Aichi Prefectures—the Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival continues to attract visitors from across the country. (Footage by Fuji TV Editorial/Getty Images)