The English translation is below
今年も七夕の季節がやって来ました〜♬
今は日本列島、梅雨真っ只中なのですが
今年の関東地方はジメジメすることもなく
気温も穏やかで、今のところ快適でございます
ヨーロッパでは熱波で大変なことになっていたようですが…
今回は2026年最新の「日本人のリアル七夕願い事」のご紹介です！
七夕の由来は去年の記事「星に願いを」に書いてありますので
興味があればぜひそちらもご覧ください！
去年とは違って、七夕コーナーは短冊に願い事を書いて
笹にぶら下げる…という伝統的なスタイルでした
『3000歳までは、生きたいです。』
「までは」の「は」に注目です
「少なくともこれだけは」「最低限このラインまでは」
という最低限の基準を限定して強調する用法です
「3000歳まで生きたい」→単なる目標の提示
「3000歳までは生きたい」
→せめて、少なくとも3000歳というラインまでは
生きたい
通常は「100歳」のような現実的なラインを引く
ときに使われますが、この壮大な数字に乗っかっているのが
たまりません
『かんじがじょうずになりたいです』
なら、漢字で書こうよ！
『子供たちが言うことを聞きますように！』
子育てママさん達には尊敬しかないです
『兄がへんてこな人になりませんように』
「へんてこ」というのは漢字を使うと「変てこ」です
「変」だけだと少し冷たさや鋭さを感じるのですが
「変てこ」だとちょっとズッコケた響きになって
「愛嬌のあるおかしさ」に変化します
おそらくこのお兄ちゃんにはすでに「へんてこ」の
兆候が見られているのではないでしょうか（笑）
これ以上エスカレートして本格的に「へんてこな人」
になってしまわないか、下の兄弟が心配しているのが
微笑ましいですね
兄つながりで・・・
『兄が見つかりますように！』
筆跡から判断するに、わりと年配の方に見える…
何があったのでしょう
早く会えるといいですね…
『今年も良い年になりますように』
短冊ではなく、新年に絵馬に書くべきです
しかも、「今年」がデカすぎて、どんどん文字を
小さくせざるをえなかった計画性のなさに
親しみを感じてしまいます♪
『女の子と花火が見れますように』
花火大会まであと1ヶ月もありません
果たして彼は間に合うのか⁈
『後悔のない夏にしたい』
筆跡を見るに、女の子ですね
10代後半の学生さんっぽいな〜
上の願い事もそうですが、青春の匂いがしますね♪
強い決意を感じる、熱いメッセージ！
この夏、全力で駆け抜けてほしい‼︎
『全部がうまくいきますように』
こういうちゃっかりしてる人、好きです♬
『母さんが健康でボケませんように』
母思いの（たぶん）息子さんですね
温かい親孝行のドラマが透けて見える
素敵な一枚です
『世界中から戦争がなくなりますように！』
個人的な願いばかりではなく、世界平和を祈る短冊も
ポツポツ見かけました。家族みんなが健康で幸せに〜
というのが1番多かったかな
『七夕の日に、一年に一度でいいから会いたい』
これが1番切なかった・・・
This year’s Tanabata season has arrived once again!
Right now, Japan is in the middle of the rainy season.
However, here in the Kanto region, we haven’t had the usual sticky humidity this year, and the temperatures have been fairly mild, so it’s been quite comfortable so far.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Europe has been dealing with an intense heatwave…
This time, I’d like to share some real Tanabata wishes written by people in Japan in 2026!
If you’re interested in the origins of Tanabata, I explained them in last year’s article, Wish Upon a Star, so feel free to check that out as well!
Unlike last year, the Tanabata display followed the traditional style—people wrote their wishes on colorful paper strips and hung them on bamboo branches.
“I want to live until I’m at least 3,000 years old.”
The key is the particle wa (は) in made wa (までは).
Here, wa adds emphasis to a minimum expectation or threshold, almost like saying, “at the very least” or “at least this far.”
Compare these:
• 3000歳まで生きたい
“I want to live until I’m 3,000 years old.”
→ Simply states a goal.
• 3000歳までは生きたい
“I want to live until I’m at least 3,000 years old.”
→ “At the very least, I want to make it to 3,000.”
This pattern is usually used with realistic milestones, such as wanting to live to 100. That’s what makes this wish so amusing—the speaker applies the same perfectly ordinary grammar to the wildly unrealistic number of 3,000!
“I want to get better at writing kanji.”
Then… why not write it in kanji? 😆
“I hope my children will listen to me!”
I have nothing but respect for all the moms raising kids.
“I hope my big brother doesn’t become a henteko person.”
Henteko is a fun Japanese word meaning “odd,” “weird,” or “goofy.”
If you just say hen (変), it can sound a bit blunt or even negative. But henteko has a much softer, more playful feel. It describes someone who’s quirky or amusing rather than genuinely strange.
My guess is that this older brother is already showing a few signs of being henteko. 😂 His younger sibling is probably hoping he doesn’t take it to the next level and become a full-fledged henteko person. That’s what makes this wish so adorable.
Speaking of older brothers…
“I hope my brother will be found.”
Judging from the handwriting, it looks like it was written by an older adult…
I can’t help but wonder what happened.
I hope they’re reunited soon.
“I hope this year will be a good one, too.”
This feels more like something you’d write on an ema (a wooden prayer plaque at a shrine) for New Year’s rather than on a Tanabata wish strip.
Also, the writer made “this year” so huge that they had no choice but to squeeze the rest of the sentence into smaller and smaller letters. I can’t help but smile at the lack of planning. ♪
“I hope I’ll get to watch the fireworks with a girl.”
There’s less than a month left until the fireworks festivals begin.
Will he make it in time?
“I want to make this a summer with no regrets.”
Judging by the handwriting, I’d guess it was written by a teenage girl—probably a high school student in her late teens.
Like the previous wish, this one has the unmistakable feeling of youth. ♪
You can really sense the determination behind those words.
I hope she gives it everything she’s got this summer!
“I hope everything goes well.”
I like people who make wishes like this.
It’s nice and efficient—you cover everything in one go! ♬
“I hope my mom stays healthy and never develops dementia.”
This was probably written by a son who truly cares about his mother.
You can almost picture the warm, loving relationship they share.
It’s such a touching wish.
“I hope war disappears from the world.”
Not all the wishes were personal. I also came across quite a few people wishing for world peace.
The most common wish, though, was probably for everyone’s family to stay healthy and happy.
“On Tanabata, I wish I could see you—even if it’s only once a year.”
This was the wish that touched me the most…
