Ah ok, so you do have the same story in China. I guessed you did. Probably Japan took from there in the Heian period when they took many other things from China. The Chinese version of the story is much more dramatic! Thanks for sharing that!

I didn't mention that in the Japanese version of the tale, on years when it rains on the 7th day of the 7th month, the river of heaven is said to have flooded so they can't meet that year, and so the rain we feel on earth is their tears.