Isabelle has an announcement to make: today is a special holiday in Japan known as Tanabata, and players ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonscan now celebrate alongside them in-game with a special seasonal item.
Last week,Animal Crossing: New Horizonsreleased a massive update titled Wave 1, the first of multiple summer updates with fun activities for the hot season. Along with being able to swim, dive, andmeet the brand new character, Pascal, players can celebrate the Japanese holiday Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, by purchasing the Bamboo Grass seasonal item.
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According toNintendo, Tanabata is celebrated on July 7th: “This is the one day that the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi—represented by the stars Vega and Altair—can meet.” Folks partaking in the festival should write a wish on tanzaku paper, hang it from the bamboo branches, and wish on the stars.
Players inAnimal Crossingcan participate in wish-making by purchasing the Bamboo Grass item, a small bamboo tree with papers and colorful decorations hanging on its branches. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like residents on the island are celebrating the holiday as an event, most likely because it lacks popularity outside of Japan.
The Bamboo Grass item is available via purchase only through Nook Shopping either through the app on the Nook Phone or in the Nook Stop and costs 3,080 bells. Keep in mind that if players order the item today, the day of the festival, it won’t arrive at mailboxes until tomorrow, unlessNew Horizonsplayers utilize time-traveling tactics.
The Bamboo Grass item is available until 7/31, so make sure to snag it before it disappears. And although some fans are skeptical that this item is available outside of Japan due to it being labeled in Nook Shopping with a small Japanese flag, it is purchasable in the States. Perhaps this confirms that regionally exclusive items inAnimal Crossingwill be a thing of the past.
This seasonal item will look adorable next to craftable bamboo furniture and bamboo trees. Other rare items players can look forward to in the Wave 1 Summer Update is the specialty mermaid furniture. Players can get DIYs bytrading scallops for pearls with Pascal. Players are also speculating what else Nintendo has in store for summertime inAnimal Crossing. If the game follows suit from past titles in the franchise, players will get to see firework shows throughout the month of August.
Animal Crossingis available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
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