Japan slows down as summer festivals bring nights to life

The country’s fascination with supernatural creatures can still be explored today. The Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition Kagoshima, running from July 3 to August 31, explores the origins of Japanese spirits and their depiction in art. It offers visitors the chance to discover a distinctive part of Japanese culture while staying out of the summer heat.

When the daytime heat subsides, traditional matsuri festivals bring communities together. People in colorful yukata gather around food stalls, enjoy shaved ice and yakisoba, and watch fireworks light up the night.

Three major festivals define Japan’s festival season from late spring into summer: Tokyo’s Kanda Matsuri, Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and Osaka’s Tenjin Matsuri. Each reflects the character of its host city – Tokyo’s energy, Kyoto’s refinement and Osaka’s exuberance.

Summer also brings Tanabata, celebrated on July 7 or August 7 depending on the region. The festival recalls the legendary lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altaïr, who are said to meet once a year. People write wishes on colorful strips of paper and hang them from bamboo branches.

Another important summer tradition is O-Bon, observed around mid-August in most of Japan. The period honors ancestral spirits, with families returning to their hometowns to tend graves, clean tombstones and make offerings.

In Kyoto, the observance ends with gozan no okuribi, when five giant characters and symbols are set ablaze on the mountains. According to tradition, the fires guide ancestral spirits back to the afterlife.

O-Bon also features Bon Odori, communal dances where experienced performers and beginners come together in the same circles. With simple choreography and an open atmosphere, the dances bring people of different ages and backgrounds together, sometimes continuing until dawn.

Modern entertainment has also become part of Japan’s summer rhythm. The Fuji Rock Festival welcomes more than 200 Japanese and international artists each July in the mountains of Niigata Prefecture. Camping, beach fireworks, beer gardens and mushi-tori, or insect hunting, are among other seasonal pastimes.

While cherry blossoms and Japan’s image as a fast-paced technological society often dominate perceptions of the country, summer reveals another side. The heat encourages people to slow down, move into the shade and gather after sunset.

For Japan, summer is a season of reflection, nostalgia and community – a time when ancient traditions, shared fears and simple pleasures come together under the night sky.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that temperatures in Kumamoto, Japan, climbed to 40.3°C, marking the first time the southwestern Japanese prefecture had recorded temperatures above 40°C and adding to the hardship faced by residents affected by a powerful earthquake.