Ahh, Summer. Don’t you just love it? The sun shines for eighteen hours a day, the warm day beckons you to emerge from your indoor caves for at least a small amount of time, and steaming cups of green tea and warm sake are quickly replaced with ice cold matcha. And of course, there are the summer festivals! In Japan, the Tanabata festival is one of the most well-known and loved of the festivals. And since, until this Saturday (12/7/2014) only, Japan Centre has some fantastic festive themed items on offer, now is the perfect time to provide a rundown of the festival’s origins and where it is most joyously celebrated.