Summer Festival at Tanabata Shrine

七夕神社の夏祭り

A Summer Festival is held on August 7th (the traditional date of the Star Festival “Tanabata”) every year. Ogori City has come to be known as “Tanabata Village”, since the terrain on either side of the Homan River where the Himekoso Shrine (popularly known as Tanabata Shrine) and Oimatsu Shrine (popularly known as Keigo/Kengyu Shrine) are located resembles the terrain surrounding China’s Han River, where the the Tanabata legend is said to have originated.
At 5am on the morning the festival, the Lion Dance is performed as a prayer dedicated to the shrine, and later in the morning, the lion [dancer] and children pulling a float visit each home. In the evening, many open-air stalls line the path leading to the shrine, and wishes written on strips of paper sent from people throughout Japan decorate [every available space]. In addition, various performances are done by local talent on the stage constructed especially for the event, making for a lively summer night!

Address (Japanese)	838-0127　福岡県小郡市大崎1 媛社神社（通称：七夕神社）
Address	Himekoso (or “Tanabata”) Shrine, 1 Ozaki, Ogori City, Fukuoka
Telephone Number	0942-72-4008（（一社）小郡市観光協会）
Contact	Ogori City Tourism Association
Access	By train - About a 20 minute walk from Nishitetsu “Ogori” Station on the Omuta Line
Website	http://www.kanko-ogori.jp/content/root.jsp?cp=YTFlM3pfMjU3MTEyODc5MTQzMzExMA==