If you wanna go visit your ox man and get some of his milk you gotta make me some damn fine kimonos woman.

Next week in Japan is Tanabata (七夕、たなばた). If you want a short explaination in english into the background of the day then click here (horrible pronunciation included!). Otherwise, you could watch a picture show from somewhere up in Sendai. Whether you watched a video or not, what you should know is that Japanese people write wishes and hang them on a bamboo tree in hopes that they will be granted.

All of these pamphlets are now part of my dominion.

So today, instead of studying for the Japanese test this Sunday I spent my time with the other students and volunteer teachers celebrating two celestial bodies one chance per year to blow off work and possibly blow off some other things. The first and most important thing we did was write our wishes. The wishes are written on long, thin strips of colorful paper (remember that Japanese is usually written top to bottom, right to left) and you usually use a pen such as this one to write down your wish. I practiced a little bit since I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write but I finally settled on two.

Sloppily written: “To have a yuakata made (because I’m tall)” and “May I not get cavities”

Per usual, other students did not care about their teeth as much as me and wished for such things as happiness and a better Japanese ability. Pah, I say, Pah; how well can you speak Japanese if all you can do is gum the words? Not very well, gummy. Anyways, we told everyone else what we wished for and hung each one on the tiny bamboo tree that we were oppressing. Afterwards, (as is the case with every single meeting in Japan, ever) we had green tea and cake.

Whether or not I’ll actually go to an event on the 7th of July, the correct day to celebrate Tanabata) is unknown, but if I don’t I’ll make my own event here and I’ll make my furry housemate wear a yukata.

Pictured: The death paddle that’s used on people who write shitty wishes.