EN : The Connection Between VRChat and Tanabata / 【JP】VRChatと七夕の関係

2026-07-04

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This article was translated using DeepL.

Hey there! I’m Virtual Blogger Koga Tsubameya!

When people hear “July 7,” many probably think of the phrase “Lucky 7.”
Although it’s known as an auspicious number, this day also marks the traditional Japanese festival “Tanabata.”

Tanabata is a custom in which people hang colorful strips of paper and decorations inscribed with their wishes on bamboo leaves to send their wishes to the stars.
I bet a lot of people wrote wishes on strips of paper when they were kids.

Tanabata is a festival that’s celebrated every year in the world of VRChat, too.

Until now, the Japanese VRChat community has held Tanabata events organized by volunteer users, but this year, believe it or not, VRChat itself is reportedly hosting a Tanabata event.

It’s kind of moving to think that the Tanabata culture, which has been passed down in the community for so many years, will now be carried on in a new form as an official event.

So, in this post, I’m going to talk about the connection between Tanabata and VRChat.

I hope that even in the virtual world, everyone’s wishes will reach the starry sky.

About Tanabata as a Traditional Japanese Festival

Photo : 写真AC

Japan’s “Tanabata” is a traditional event held every year on July 7, during which people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo branches in the hope that the Weaver Princess and the Cowherd Star will be reunited.
Legends and customs introduced from China merged with Japan’s indigenous beliefs, giving rise to the Tanabata festival as we know it today.

Photo : 写真AC

Even after July 7, large-scale Tanabata festivals are held throughout Japan as a summer tradition.
The Tanabata festivals in Sendai and Shonan, in particular, are famous throughout the country.

The Connection Between VRChat and Tanabata

In recent years, the Tanabata tradition has spread beyond the real world and into the VRChat community.

It originally began as a project initiated by a group of enthusiastic users. Participants write their favorite designs or wishes on strips of paper of a specified size and post photos of them on the old Twitter platform using the hashtag “#VRCTanabata.”
This event makes use of a feature unique to the virtual world, where the strips of paper are then displayed within the VR environment.

This user-led Tanabata project has been running for seven years, through 2025.

Then, in 2026, the official VRChat team announced that it would be holding a Tanabata event in Japan and began accepting submissions for wishes to be written on tanzaku strips.

The submission form for the official event also provided a detailed explanation of Tanabata customs and the colors of the wish slips.
This is likely a consideration designed to make it easier for overseas users who are unfamiliar with Japan’s Tanabata culture to understand.

Although the call for wishes has already ended, the wish strips will be displayed for one week, from July 6 to 12.

The official VRChat Tanabata event is a bit different from the user-organized events held in the past.
However, the essence of making a wish in a virtual space remains the same.

Just as people hang strips of paper on real bamboo, wishes gather in the world of VRChat as well.
When you think about it that way, the Tanabata tradition and virtual spaces might actually be a pretty good match.

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