May All Your Wishes Come True!
Introducing ANA Group’s Tanabata Events
July 7th was Tanabata, meaning “Evening of the seventh,” also known as the Star Festival. It is a Japanese festival celebrating the once a year meeting of the star-crossed lovers, Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). Tanabata is typically celebrated by writing wishes onto strips of paper and hanging them on bamboo stalks.
At ANA Group, various airports, both domestic and international, held events to celebrate this holiday. Let’s take a look at some of those events!
At the Chubu International Airport, the bus headed for the aircraft was adorned with starry decorations.
At the Kansai International Airport, the staff handed out uchiwa fans and konpeito, a Japanese sugar confection. Each konpeito package had a written message from ANA employees, and customers shared amongst each other the messages they received.
At Narita Airport and Okinawa Naha Airport, bamboo stalks were set up at the counter and decorated with customers’ wishes!
At Matsuyama Airport, many kindergarten children paid a visit!
The Tanabata events were a success at international airports as well.
In order for customers to further enjoy Tanabata, the flight attendants on international flights decorated the aircraft with pop-up art using origami paper that introduced the origins of Tanabata. They also distributed strips of paper to passengers suggesting, “Why not make a wish in the sky, the closest you can get to the stars?”
All the precious wishes we received will be taken to the Ashikagaorihime Shrine in Tochigi prefecture. May all your wishes come true!
