Chika

The story of Tanabata was inspired by a Chinese folktale.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful lady name Orihime near the Milky Way.  She was a daughter of God of Sky and wove beautiful clothes every day.  When Orihime reached the marriageable age, God of Sky introduced her to Hikoboshi who lived on the other side of the Milky Way.  When the two met, they fell in love instantly and married shortly thereafter.  However, once the two were married, they were too busy to spend time together and did not work.  God of Sky scolded them, but they still did not work.  In anger, God of Sky separated them across the Milky Way and forbade them to meet.  Orihime was in tears every day. God of Sky felt sorry for them and said to Orihime. “If you work hard, you may meet Hikoboshi on the 7th day of the 7th month every year.”  Since that day Orihime and Hikoboshi worked hard every day in order to see each other.

Traditional Japanese scenes (shrines, temples, old style houses, streets, gardens etc.) look particularly lovely in the rain.  This is good because it rains often in Japan at certain times of year.  Tourists typically prefer to visit during the dry and sunny days, but I still enjoy cloudy skies, and the look and sound of rain on the glistening streets and buildings.

We have a rainy season every year in Japan.  It arrives first in Okinawa (south) and moves up towards the north.  It usually reaches Tokyo around the beginning of June and lasts for about a month to six weeks.  This is a photo of jizo or a guardian deity of children in Meigetsu-in, Kamakura.