Sendai’s annual festival incorporates Messages for Japan

In April, we told you about Messages for Japan, a website that allows people to write messages in their own language and have them translated into Japanese, all powered by Google Translate.

This website’s success has led to an impressive display in Japan. So, we thought you might like to see what was recently featured on the Google blog about Sendai, one of the hardest hit cities during Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The city hosts an annual festival, to celebrate a Japanese holiday called “Tanabata”.

During this celebration, wishes are written on paper strips and hung from bamboo trees. This year, translated notes from Messages for Japan were also hung from these branches, giving words of love and encouragement to the stricken country.

To see photos of Sendai’s Tanabata festival, go to the Messages for Japan photos page.

And if you haven’t already, write a message today!