Sendai Tanabata festival starts in northeastern Japan

The Sendai Tanabata Festival, one of the most popular summer events in the Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, started on Thursday.

The annual event in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, is said to date back more than 400 years. This year marks the 80th festival since it was revived after World War Two.

Shopping arcades in the city center are adorned with about 1,400 colorful streamers and paper strips.

A total of 78,000 paper cranes made by elementary and junior high school students are on display outside a department store. The crane decorations were created with the wish that memories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which struck the Tohoku region, will not fade. They are drawing the attention of many visitors.

This year, a series of bear sightings has been reported around the venue, and visitors are being urged to take their trash home to avoid attracting bears.

A woman in her 40s, who came from within the city with her two daughters, said that she visited the event for the first time in a while and there were so many beautiful decorations, which her children really enjoyed. She added that she hopes many people will visit the festival.

On Friday night, a traditional "Sparrow Dance" in which performers use paper fans to symbolize sparrow wings will be held for the first time at the festival. The event will be held beneath the Tanabata decorations.

The festival runs through Saturday.