Tanabata Monogatari

Perfect for Tanabata, the Japanese star festival on July 7! On this night, families write wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo. The festival comes from an old legend: Orihime and Hikoboshi, two stars separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet only once a year, when magpies gather to form a bridge across the sky. In this game, parents and children live that legend together. Note: the game's text is in Japanese (simple hiragana for young children). Play is one tap and needs no reading, so families anywhere can enjoy it, and it is a lovely way to share a Japanese festival. ■ Work, then run Tap anywhere to complete four little chores, one at a time. Each tap shows your progress: a new row of cloth, a new sprout, one more stitch, a little more water in the bucket. When the work is done, the magpies become a bridge and the run begins. ■ Easy to play Tap to jump over gaps and obstacles. That's it! ■ Catch shooting stars Every star you catch brings everyone's wishes closer. Reach the goal and the two stars meet again, with a picture of their reunion (and a special one if you never fell). Then it's on to next year's Tanabata. ■ Five ways to run - Easiest and Easy: short bridges for the littlest children - Hard: a longer bridge with tricky gaps - Heavy Rain: the biggest challenge, on a rainy night - Fireworks Night: the easy bridge under a festival sky ■ More to enjoy - Golden shooting stars: jump high to catch them for extra wishes - A magpie rescue if you fall, once per run - A "Perfect!" badge for reaching the goal without falling - A wish collection with 101 wishes, plus wishes you write yourself ■ For parents - The game's text is Japanese. Menus are short, and the pictures show what to do. - A run takes about 10 to 30 seconds. If your child falls, a magpie lifts them back up once; after a second fall, a soft "almost!" screen lets them try again. - Ads appear only outside play: a small banner on the title screen and sometimes a full-screen ad after tapping "Run again." No ads appear during the run. Ads are set to family-friendly content and are not personalized. You can skip the chores once a day for free, with no ad. - No in-app purchases. Game records are saved only on this device. Will Orihime and Hikoboshi meet again this year? Run across the Milky Way and make everyone's wishes come true.