In Tanabata folklore, what celestial river separates Orihime and Hikoboshi?

In Tanabata folklore, the Milky Way separates Orihime and Hikoboshi.

The story describes the lovers as stars placed on opposite sides of the celestial river. In Japanese, the Milky Way is called Amanogawa, meaning “heavenly river.” Their annual meeting is said to occur on Tanabata, when magpies create a bridge across the sky.

The two figures correspond to stars identified in Western astronomy as Vega and Altair. Vega represents Orihime, while Altair represents Hikoboshi. The bright band of the Milky Way provides the story’s separating river.

Clouds or rain are traditionally viewed as obstacles because bad weather can prevent the magpies from forming their bridge. Tanabata customs often combine this legend with wishes written on tanzaku and hung from bamboo.