Event / Workshop Tanabata Party July 07, 2019 / by Junko We celebrated Tanabata with our guests. Tanabata (July 7) is known as the Japanese star festival, originating from a Chinese legend of the couple Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altair. We enjoyed these festive somen noodles and chilled food which helped us cool off. Children decorated the bamboo branch, and we all wrote wishes on colorful strips of paper called ‘tanzaku’ and hanged them on the bamboo branch. Some dressed in Yukata. It was fun! Inari somen Chilled tomato oden Deep-fried summer veggies in cold dashi broth Somen noodle an assortment of herbs and condiments for somen noodle Italian style ‘Aji no tataki’ (finely chopped Japanese horse mackerel) ‘Ume’ teriyaki chicken Pork ginger w/ a hint of ‘ume’ Fruit Punch We hope everyone enjoyed experiencing traditional Japanese culture in a fun Tanabata (Star Festival) atmosphere! Thank you for coming! Now I’m looking at your wishes written in colorful tanzaku papers on the bamboo branch. They make me feel warm and smile. Let’s wish for good weather tomorrow so that the lovers can meet and our wishes will be fulfilled! If not, I’m going to bring those tanzaku to a shrine and ask a shinto priest to pray for us so that our wishes come true 😉 Junko There are so many Japanese dishes and cultures that are not well known outside of Japan and I’m happy to introduce them to you! If you tested any of our recipes feel free to send us a photo and your comments and we will be happy to publish them, even if it wasn't a complete success! :) Seeking the best balance of being free and living a stable life in this busy city, I enjoy kitchen gardening to deepen my connection with nature. Lately, I enjoy traveling to places I’ve never been and dancing Salsa/Kizomba there. Always a traveler at heart. Freelance web/graphic designer. Coffee & chocolate addict.