Delicious Japanese Dishes: Kakigori

It’s almost impossible to get through August in Japan without having at least one bowl of kakigori. There’s not much better than eating this ice cold treat in the sweltering heat. It is the quintessential Japanese summer experience!

The Super Fun Harajuku Yosakoi

It’s the last weekend of August but summer isn’t over yet! And more importantly, there is still a handful of festivals left on Tokyo’s summer events calendar, like the Harajuku Omotesando Genki Festival Super Yosakoi. This lively two-day festival takes place on August 25-26 (2018) and showcases a Japanese dance called the yosakoi. 

Kiyose’s Field of Beaming Blooms

At last, the heatwave seems to be over. In the past few days, temperatures have dropped, hovering around the low 30s. The sun is still strong, but it’s much less humid and I feel like we can now actually go outside and enjoy summer! The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for a certain, much-anticipated flower festival in Kiyose city, just north-west of central Tokyo.

Bon Dancing in Shimokitazawa

Lanterns lanterns lanterns! This means only one thing: we are officially on Obon holidays. For one short week in the middle of August, the country takes a breather and lets its hair down. People make the most of this holiday by going back to their hometowns to visit family or even by going on a trip overseas.

A Brilliant Midsummer’s Night in Adachi

Summers in Tokyo are notoriously hot and humid with heat waves lasting weeks at a time. While all you want to do during the day is stay inside to escape the heat, the nights, on the other hand, entice us out with promises of some of the year’s most exciting events.

Summer Bliss at the Izu Peninsula

The Izu Peninsula was beyond anything I had ever imagined. For most people in Japan, Izu is synonymous with beaches and onsens. It’s a popular weekend trip from Tokyo, but I’d only been to the area once before, to see the early-blooming cherry blossoms in Kawazu.