Tanabata Festival opens without restrictions

The Tanabata Festival opened on Sunday in Sendai, Japan. The festival drew large crowds on the opening day. The annual event has returned to its pre-pandemic scale without COVID restrictions for the first time in four years. The festival is said to date back more than 400 years, and is one of the most popular summer events.

About 3,000 bamboos are adorned with colorful streamers, paper strips and other ornaments in the city's shopping arcades and elsewhere during the three-day event. The event runs through Tuesday and is expected to attract about 2 million people.