Scuba divers celebrated Tanabata, or the star festival, off the coast of Sado Island in central Japan on July 5.

Tanabata is often celebrated by writing wishes onto slips of paper and hanging them on bamboo trees.

Divers in the area descended around 20 meters underwater to secure the bamboo stalks and decorated it with wishes written on plastic. 

An Asian sheepshead wrasse swam around the working divers. 

S/ Participant/ It was so friendly! It swam right in front of me many times!

S/ Participant/ It’s so hot recently, so it was fun to spend Tanabata in a cool place.

Tanabata is based on the legend of star-crossed lovers Orihime, represented by Vega, and Hikoboshi, represented by Altair, separated by the Milky Way.

They are said to reunite once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month, making it a wishful festival.

This year marks a triple seven date as the festival falls on the seventh year of Reiwa.

Meanwhile, temperatures rose nationwide on July 7.

Highs in Kyoto and surrounding areas are expected to be 38 degrees Celsius, the hottest this year.

Similarly, Osaka and Nagoya expect 37 degrees while parts of Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island, is said to reach 36 degrees.

A heat stroke alert was issued in Hokkaido for the first time this year and Tokyo issued the alert for the second consecutive day.

Of the 47 prefectures in Japan, 30 have issued a heat stroke alert.

Officials have called for heat stroke prevention through staying hydrated and being in cool areas, especially for vulnerable populations.