What's the first thing you think of when you think of a Japanese summer?

Japan Times

04-07-2025

On June 27, the Japan Meteorological Agency declared 梅雨明け (tsuyu-ake, the end of rainy season) in Western Japan — marking the earliest end to 梅雨 (tsuyu, rainy season) on record and the official start of 夏 (natsu, summer) there.
梅雨明け is one thing, but I find that the real sign marking the arrival of summer gets taped up in the windows of ramen shops across the country: 「冷やし中華始めました」(Hiyashi chūka hajimemashita) — 'We've started (serving) chilled ramen.'
冷やし中華 (Hiyashi chūka, chilled ramen) isn't just a dish, it's a seasonal cue — a 夏の風物詩 (natsu no fūbutsushi, thing that reminds you of summer).
夏と聞いて何を連想しますか？ (Natsu to kiite nani o rensō shimasu ka?, When you hear [the word] summer, what do you think of?) Based on a recent survey by research group Macromill of people in their 20s and 30s, here are 10 must-know 夏の風物詩:
10. プール (pūru, pool): Many 遊園地 (yūenchi, amusement parks) open 屋外レジャープール (okugai rejā pūru, outdoor leisure pools) this season, while children also head to 市民プール (shimin pūru, public pools) and take 水泳の授業 (suiei no jugyō, swimming classes). For them, 夏といえばプールだ (Natsu to ieba pūru da, when it comes to summer, it's pool).
The structure ～といえば is derived from the verb 言う (iu, say), combined with the conditional ending ば (ba). It works similarly to 'when it comes to' and 'speaking of' in English, and is usually written in kana to distinguish from a more literal use of 言う, such as in the idiom ああ言えばこう言う (aa ieba kō iu, always have a counterargument to everything).
9. エアコン／クーラー (eakon/kūrā, air conditioner): AC is most commonly referred to by the abbreviation エアコン in Japanese, but people will also call it a クーラー or 冷房 (reibō): 暑いからクーラーの温度を下げてもいい？ (Atsui kara kūrā no ondo o sagetemo ii?, It's hot, so can I turn the AC down?)
These nouns take other verbs, including つける (tsukeru), 入れる (ireru) and sometimes かける (kakeru), all meaning 'to turn on' in this context, while 効く (kiku, to be effective) is also used: この部屋、冷房が効きすぎだね (Kono heya, reibō ga kikisugi da ne, The AC is working too much in this room).
8. セミの鳴き声 (semi no nakigoe, the sound of cicadas): The buzzing of セミ (semi, cicadas) is described with the onomatopoeic term ミーンミーン (mīn-mīn).
夏らしいといえば夏らしいけど、少しうるさい (Natsu-rashii to ieba natsu-rashii kedo, sukoshi urusai, [It's] certainly summery, but a little noisy). Here, when a contrastive conjunction such as けど or が is tacked onto the ～といえば structure, it works like 'while it's true that~' or 'but~' with additional — usually negative — information.
7/6. アイスクリーム (aisu kurīmu, ice cream)／スイカ (suika, watermelon): Some refreshing desserts come in seventh and sixth place among Japan's Gen Z, while traditional summer staples like ビアガーデン (bia gāden, [typically rooftop] summer beer garden) and ビール (bīru, beer) ranked 26th and 27th. My former boss used to say, やっぱり夏はビールと枝豆だな (Yappari natsu wa bīru to edamame da na, Nothing beats beer and edamame in summer). It seems, times are changing.
5. 夏休み (natsu yasumi, summer vacation): While some public schools are experimenting with longer 夏休み than before in response to 猛暑 (mōsho, extreme heat), it is also reported that children tend to experience physical and mental discomfort after the vacation. A 休み明け (yasumi-ake, post-vacation) period can be challenging for adults, too, so take good care of yourself and your little ones after this year's 夏休み and お盆休み (o-bon yasumi, Bon holiday ) from Aug.13 to 17.
4. かき氷 (kakigōri, shaved ice ): This traditional children's treat has evolved a lot over the past decade, including fancy ones called 高級かき氷 (kōkyū kakigōri, gourmet shaved ice) and 創作かき氷 (sōsaku kakigōri, creative shaved ice). The best ones are likely to use 旬の果物 (shun no kudamono, seasonal fruits) and 天然水を自然環境で凍らせた天然氷 (ten'nen-sui o shizen kankyō de kōraseta ten'nen-gōri, Natural ice made by freezing mineral water in outdoor natural conditions), differentiating them from the regular かき氷 sold at 屋台 (yatai, stalls).
3. 海 (umi, ocean): Most beaches conduct 海開き (umi-biraki, beach opening) in early to mid-July. 海の家が賑わう様子は夏ならではの光景です (Umi no ie ga nigiwau yōsu wa natsu naradewa no kōkei desu, The lively atmosphere of beach huts is a quintessential sight of summer).
The term ならでは (naradewa) is also useful when you want to highlight the distinctive character of something, as in, 日本ならではの職人技 (Nihon naradewa no shokunin waza, craftsmanship unique to Japan). When you go 海水浴 (kaisuiyoku, swimming in the ocean), don't forget your 水着 (mizugi, swimwear) and swim at a beach where lifesavers are stationed .
2. 夏祭り (natsumatsuri, summer festival): People of all ages associate the Japanese summer with traditional 祭り (matsuri, festivals). They get dressed in 浴衣 ( yukata , summer kimono) — a term that ranked 13th on Macromill's list — or colorful 法被 (happi, traditional straight, tube-sleeved coats), partake in traditional 盆踊り (bon odori, Bon dances) and parade 神輿 (mikoshi, float-shaped portable shrines) down the streets as a way to pray for abundant harvests, honor ancestors and ward off diseases.
Now, drum roll please. The No. 1 thing that young people think of when they hear the word summer is ... 花火大会 (hanabi taikai, fireworks displays).
Summer in Japan never feels complete without 打ち上げ花火 (uchiage hanabi, skyrocket fireworks) in the sky, though 手持ち花火 (temochi hanabi, hand-held sparklers) such as 線香花火 (senkō hanabi) — the thinnest sparklers that look like 線香 (senkō, incense sticks) — are also popular. Japan's firework festivals are often tied to a wish for 慰霊 (irei, consoling the spirits of the deceased), long cherished by the local community.