Every year, Japanese children write wishes on strips of colored paper and use them to decorate bamboo branches for a festival called Tanabata, which takes place on July 7th.

Many bamboo branches decorated by kindergartens and schools associated with Kodai-ji are on display in the car park of the Zen temple. It looks very pretty and festive.

A light-up event also takes place every evening from 5 pm to 9:30 pm in the pay-to-visit garden. For only 600 yen, you can explore the temple's beautiful garden under the festive lights. You won't regret it.