Into The Summer - Best Of Japan
By billywest • Jun 24th, 2008 • Category: Featured Story, The Latest
Atsuuuuiiii! You hear it all summer long in Japan, and indeed, many people complain about the long, sweltering days and damp, sleepless nights. But for me, summer is a great time to be in Japan. Fireworks shows, local festivals, yukatas and Mt. Fuji climbing excursions… These are just some of the things that make summertime in Japan a magic time.
I suppose my love for summer in Japan comes from having visited the country for the first time during the summer months. The memories I have of that time are some of the best of my life and I made the decision at that time to come back to live and work here based on one simple reason: I love this place. Of course, I don’t dislike the place during the fall, winter, or spring months; It’s just that summertime is the best time in Japan for me.
When you think about summer in Japan, what images are conjured up for you? Here are a few for me:
Matsuri
Japanese festivals are great events and some of the images you’ll take away from these festivals will remain forever in your mind. Some people like to stand by and watch while others like to get involved and dance or help carry a mikoshi around the streets of whatever town they happen to be in. Gion Matsuri in Kyoto is considered to be the most famous festival in Japan and is held in July. The Awa Dance Festival, which originated in Tokushima, is one of my favorites. Each year in late August an Awa Odori festival is held in Koenji, Tokyo. If you haven’t been to one of these dance festivals, by all means go, get drunk, get aho and dance with everyone else. You get bonus points for sporting a yukata.
How about you? What’s your best festival memory?
Kakigori
Kakigori, or Japanese shaved ice is sold at stands everywhere througout Japan during the summer. When you see a stand on a hot summer day, you can’t help yourself; you gravitate toward it and you get yourself one of these cool, refreshing treats. If it’s really hot, you sometimes get two. My best memory of enjoying the stuff was just outside of Hikone-jo in Shiga on a hot August day. I don’t remember, but I think my friends and I consumed a combined total of like 30 of them. I thought I would get sick, but I never did. Went right on to beer afterward.
Give us an image of your best experience enjoying kakigori.
Fireworks
Fireworks shows are popular throughout Japan during summer. In the Kanto area, there’s a famous event held along the Sumida river and another held in Minato Mirai in Yokohama. The festive atmosphere along with amazingly choreographed fireworks displays makes a fireworks festival in Japan a true summer highlight for everyone who goes. I have special memories of an event I went to in Kanazawa about four years ago. I had just moved to town and was feeling a bit lonely. That night I made some cool friends and met the girl who became my first girlfriend in Japan. I haven’t been to the event at the Sumida river, but I’m planning to go this summer. The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival in Niigata Prefecture is widely considered to be the best in Japan.
What’s the best fireworks festival event you’ve ever been to in Japan? If you have any links to flickr, include them in your comment so everyone can have a look.
Mt. Fuji
The short climing season in summer attracts climbers from all around the world. Indeed, many foreigners and Japanese alike feel climbing Mt. Fuji is something that should be done at least once before they die. Personally, I haven’t made the trip up yet, but definitely plan to do so before I die. It is considered a truly special experience if you can watch the sun rise from the top of Fuji-san and many people climb at night, armed with flashlights to arrive at sunrise.
Have you climed Mt. Fuji? Was it worth the trip?
Anyway, I’d like to hear from you regarding your feelings about summer in Japan. You can answer one or more of the questions that follow, or just add your own commentary. Please take the poll below and leave a comment.
- What’s your best festival memory?
- Give us an image of your best experience enjoying kakigori.
- What’s the best fireworks festival event you’ve ever been to in Japan?
- Have you climed Mt. Fuji? Was it worth the trip?
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billywest is a resident of South Tokyo and lives on the Toyoko line.
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Japan’s Best Of Summer…
Japan is an amazing place to be during summer, even if it’s frickin’ hot! There’s so much to do and see. I’m looking for you to contribute what your feelings about summer in Japan are over at 7:10 to Tokyo. I’ve put some of mine up….
I spent 4 years in Shiga prefecture and made many visits to Hikone-jo with visiting family members… Summer was my favourite time too - love that kakigoori!
I was based in Moriyama-shi, which is famous for its hotaru (fireflies). We had an apartment right next to one of the rivers where they bred and spent many awesome summer nights sitting on the balcony drinking beer and watching the hotaru light up the night.
Ahh natsukashii…
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Bring on Summer in Japan Billy …. summer anwhere for that matter but seeing as i’m here then summer in Japan it is. HANDS down it’s my favourite season … gets me excited just thinking about it ! Pencilled in a trip to Enoshima / Shonan beach already ….. yatta!
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Yeah. Enoshima is the place to be in Kanto during the summer if you’re into beach, beauties, and festivities.
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I love seeing everyone out at the festivals in their yukata, the street food the the traditional entertainment. I may even buy a yukata for myself this year!
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I sported a Jinbe at several functions last year Shane …. was a lot of fun.
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Hmm. Not sure I can vote in summer as my favorite season. Though I have plans to climb Fuji-san in July and do indeed enjoy fireworks and extended daylight, I’ll pencil in fall as my favorite time of year. It cools down considerably and some of the foliage is beautiful.
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I love summer here!
I even have my own kakigori machine.
I used to live in Shonan, and spent most summers strolling down the beach, ogling girls in bikinis, and carrying a six pack of Corona.
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I would have to say Spring is my fav just because of the Cherry blossoms; even though it only lasts for a week or two.
But summer is awesome too!!!!!
Best matsuri memory is: EVERY ONE!
As long as there is a じゃがバター yatai, it’s a great matsuri!
Huge steamed potato with butter, miso and nori on top!!! Ahhhh….slobber slobber…
If you can read JN, here’s a ranking of yatai.
http://ranking.goo.ne.jp/ranking/051ki/festival_stall/
Toda Furusato Matsuri is one of my favorites, especially when they have it at a street intersection.
Last year, it was near the Toda Kyoutei (boat races) and it was a downer because of location and set up.
But will most likely make it this year too to check it out.
Kakigoori f**kin’ makes my teeth hurt.
Best fireworks display I’ve seen would have to be Chichibu Matsuri and Todabashi Hanabi Taikai
http://debedebe.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2006-09-15T07%3A45%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=50
(scroll down a little for pics of Toda Furusato Matsuri and Hanabi)
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I’ve visited Japan in every season except summer - now i have all the more reason to make the trip :o)
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My best summer memory in Japan was a few years back when my friends and I went on a cruise around Tokyo Bay. The ad said that anyone wearing a yukata would get a discount so I ended up wearing a jimbe since my [Japanese] friend said I could get away with it. (The discount was more than the jimbe so I thought it was a good deal.) We showed up and I was the only one wearing a jimbe. It scarred me for life. Good thing it was nomihodai!
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I’m with you on this one. I hate, hate, hate the heat, but just love the festivals. My favourites are the bon odori dances, ones where you can join in. I went to the famous one in Gujo one year, but actually prefer the little local ones where I dress in a yukata and dance the night away. I love how everyone dances, old traditional women next to punk teenagers, it doesn’t matter and they all have the same grin on their face, the same celebration for life.
Ahh… kakigori. Love it! My first summer in Japan though, I kept getting the words “kakigori” and “kokiburi” (cockroach) mixed up. I repeated told my friend, “It’s hot, I want to eat a cockroach!”.
My best fireworks experience was on my friend’s birthday. Us girls all dressed up in yukata and went up to Gifu Castle, which is on the top of a mountain. From there we watched the fireworks in the river just below. It was amazing watching fireworks from above. And being fireworks season, there were three other fireworks festivals we could see from that high vantage point on that clear night.
Always wanted to climb Mt Fuji, but haven’t yet. Every year at that time, something has come up… but maybe that was just an easy excuse I made to myself.
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