Photo/Illutration The night sky filled with stars over Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

I saw the full moon brilliantly shining when I happened to look up from my smartphone screen as I was hurrying home several nights ago.

Contemporary society has all but destroyed opportunities to look up at the night sky.

But maybe not tonight. July 7 is Tanabata, or the Star Festival.

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), the haiku maestro, was apparently restless in anticipation the night before the festival.

“Oh the month of July/ The night of the sixth day/ Is none like the others,” goes a haiku in “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” his famed travelogue.

Basho endured the heat and rain during his long journey described in the work. He probably engaged in extensive dialogue with the stars, which were always there to watch over him while he was on the road.

Unlike when Basho was living, we now use the solar calendar, which is about a month ahead of its lunar counterpart.

And it is taken for granted that the Tanabata Festival, according to the new calendar, has little luck with the weather because the day typically falls in the middle of the rainy season.

Figures of the Japan Meteorological Agency show the sky was clear in Tokyo on July 7 only 23 percent of the time over the 30 years through 2020.

A Chinese legend behind the Tanabata Festival says that Vega, the weaver star, is allowed to see her sweetheart Altair, the cowherd star on the other side of the Milky Way, only once a year on this date.

It is therefore a matter of course that we must fret about the success of the long-awaited, annual reunion of the heavenly couple.

Let us hope the lovers will be able to see each other this year.

Many areas of Japan saw a sunny break from the rainy season yesterday, with the mercury rising to midsummer heights. The break came just a day too early.

Weather reports say the seasonal rain front will be active again from today, with forecasts for rain issued in Kyushu and other regions.

The anonymous author of a poem in “Manyoshu” (Collection of Myriad Leaves), an eighth-century anthology of poetry, probably also looked up with reproachful eyes at the silvery drops coming from the sky. And the poet gave free rein to fancy.

“Oh the rains falling this evening/ Are a splash from the oars of the boat/ That the cowherd star rows in a hurry.”

So goes the verse, referencing the idea of Altair paddling his boat across the Milky Way.

I do understand the cowherd star’s impatience to see his love, but some areas of Japan have had enough downpours earlier this month and wouldn’t want any more for some time to come.

I just hope the heavenly lad will row his oars slightly more slowly so there will be no more disasters down on Earth.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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