Casual — to friend
Cultural · Seasonal
短冊に願い事を書いて、笹に飾るんだよ。 — You write your wish on a tanzaku strip and hang it on the bamboo branch. (Cultural · Seasonal, Casual — to friend, JLPT N4)
You
短冊に願い事を書いて、笹に飾るんだよ。
たんざくにねがいごとをかいて、ささにかざるんだよ。
You write your wish on a tanzaku strip and hang it on the bamboo branch.
Romaji: Tanzaku ni negai-goto wo kaite, sasa ni kazaru n da yo. / Reply Romaji: Kodomo no koro, tanoshimi datta naa.
Reply
子供の頃、楽しみだったなあ。
こどものころ、たのしみだったなあ。
I used to love it as a kid.
Gesture & etiquette
Casual setting near the bamboo display. Hand the tanzaku and a felt-tip pen with both hands. Suggest themes for newcomers ('健康'/'学業成就'/'家族の幸せ'). Tie strings to bamboo with simple knots.
七夕 (Tanabata, July 7) celebrates the once-a-year meeting of the stars Vega and Altair (織姫 Orihime and 彦星 Hikoboshi). Custom: write a wish on 短冊 (colored paper strip), hang on bamboo branches. Colors traditionally tied to the five elements but modern people pick freely. Schools, shopping streets, and homes all decorate. Eat 素麺 (somen noodles) — symbolic of the Milky Way threads.