For some countries such as United States and Japan, July is the official start of the most awaited season – Summer. For beach lovers and those who love water activities, this is the perfect time to enjoy the nature together with the heat of the sun. Swimming, scuba diving and surf boarding are just some of the top favorites, but summer is more than just doing all these outdoor activities.
In Japan, summer is also about enjoying events, festivals and other activities that do not mainly involve water. As the month of July steps in, summer festivals can be everywhere. These are not just music festivals, but also showcase the beauty of nature through camping and sight-seeing. Some of the famous summer festivals are Fuji Rock Festival (rock music), Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival (by the river), Shinjuku Eisa Festival (Okinawa dance), Summer Sonic (rock music), Asakusa Samba Carnival and the Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri Festival (giant water fight). By the way, these are just some of the great events that both locals and foreigners can enjoy from July to August.
Aside from these festivities, Japanese people also love drinking cold beer during Summer. For them, this is the best way to end a tiring day. It’s very common to see office workers and employees to flock in places called “beer garden” enjoying a few bottles of beer, boiled Edamame, fried sausages, french fries, pizza and a lot more to choose from. To some foreigners, walking through the market streets of Nakamise and Asakusa is heaven because of the wide variety of souvenirs and sweets available, while visiting shrines and temples is already enjoyable enough for others. If you are an active person and loves the thrill of outdoor activities, mountain hiking is definitely fun and exciting. In addition to all these great adventures, visiting far islands can be very relaxing and irreplaceable. Some of the places that you may want to visit are Okinawa, Hachijojima, Shimoda, Hokkaido, Karuizawa and many more.
