Kantō's BIGGEST Tanabata in Hiratsuka 湘南平塚七夕祭り - illuminated!

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

Hiratsuka’s Tanabata Star Festival is the biggest in the Kantō region, attracting around 1.7 million visitors over the three days of the festival.

We will visit in the early evening and enjoy the illuminated spectacle. The shopping arcades of Hiratsuka city will be adorned with giant colourful streamers, which are hung from giant ornamental balls called the kusudama.

Aside from the impressive street decorations, you can expect parades, live performances, vendors selling local products and plenty of technicolour-fuelled buzz.

Japanese people celebrate Tanabata by making offerings and writing their own wishes onto strips of coloured paper, before tying them to bamboo branches. Traditionally these branches were sent down the river at the end of the festival period, but Tanabata has grown so much over the past few years that this tradition has been stopped in favour of cleaner water.

JOIN THIS MORNING's EVENT and get a 300yen discount.
Ōiso sightseeing and Shōnan-Daira hiking

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Hiratsuka Tanabata - 6th July] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください。
例:[Hiratsuka Tanabata - 6th July] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

We will meet at Hiratsuka station at 5pm. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.

This is a celebration of the Tanabata legend, which originated in China. There are several interpretations of the legend but this is how the story is commonly told in Japan:

Orihime, the daughter of the Emperor of the Universe Tentei, was a talented weaver, but after years of working hard to please her father she realised that she had been so busy weaving that she hadn’t had time to meet a lover.

After seeing how sad his daughter was, the Emperor arranged for her to marry Prince Hikoboshi from the other side of the great river, made by the Milky Way. Orihime and the prince fell deeply in love, but Orihime started to neglect her weaving.

The Emperor became infuriated with his daughter and banished Hikoboshi back to the other side of the river, but after seeing how sad his daughter was without the prince by her side, he decided to let the couple meet once a year, on the night of July the 7th.

This would be the night each year that they, the two stars, could meet. However, on the night of their first reunion Orihime realised that she could not cross the river by herself. A flock of Magpies heard her cries and formed a bridge for her to cross.

It is said that if there is rain on the night of 7th July, the magpies can’t help Orihime, so the lovers cannot meet for another year. Each July people hope for clear skies.

Event fee:
¥800 - early discount if you pay by 26th June (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1250 if you pay between 27th June - 5th July early evening (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (6th July) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

NOTE: requesting to pay on the day of the event is upon the understanding that you will either attend the event OR arrange for the event fee to be paid via PayPay within 24 hours. Failure to do so may result in your removal from the group. See the cancellation policy below.

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• 50% refund given if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 24 hours before the event start time.
• Cancellation within 24 hours of the event start time or no-showing requires full payment of the event fee.

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After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).