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Summer Highlights
Of fireworks, iced noodles and rowdy festivals

The number one national summer past-time for Japanese is to try to stay cool. And for the most ladies, to stay absolutely out of the sun to protect their snow white skin. But unlike them, aren't we travelers are brave souls? So here are a list of the things you can attempt to do in summer Japan. Just keep that water bottle near!

Number one on this month's list is Fireworks display. The Japanese call them "Hanabi Taikai" or fireworks "meet" (as in sports meet). However, I have never heard of anybody winning anything at these events. But I digress. Japanese have a fetish for fireworks display. And in fact, some of the world's largest and technically advanced fireworks displays are carried out every year in Japan.

"Hanabi" was first introduced to Japan via Europe, despite the close proximity to China, the inventors or fireworks, in the 17th Century. In the 18th Century, the first fireworks display was held along Sumida River in Edo (present Tokyo), hoping to stop an epidemic which was breaking out then.

It is worth a trip to these events even if you have absolutely no interest in fireworks display. The reason is that some Japanese will come to such events decked in their traditional garb, especially the young ladies, and they make a very pretty sight!

Like every other activity in Japan, these events attracts a lot of Japanese and can be quite crowded. Some large Japanese groups actually arrive early in the day and lay down their ground sheet to reserve their piece of territory! But don't fret, there will always be space. In fact, most people will try to make space for each other!

Another thing special about Japanese summer is food. Japanese are so obsessed with keeping cool that they have come up with a variety of weird and not so weird dishes. First on my list of boo-boos is cold noodles. Anyone with any Asian travel experience should know that noodles are supposed to come in or with hot steaming soup. In Japan, the soup in cold. Nope, not lukewarm, cold. In some extreme cases, the noodles are iced. It is my personal opinion that the heat has gotten to them, but I actually have many friends telling me that these iced noodles are delicious.

One last big item on my summer itinerary are matsuris, or summer festivals. Each Japanese festivals are unique, so I shall not attempt to describe them here. But most of them are colorful and rowdy, with men in their "undies" carrying palanquins supposedly containing various assortment of Japanese gods. These festivals are accompanied by night markets, which gives visitors a peek into old Japan. Most of the stalls at such stalls sell traditional Japanese grub, such as grilled squids, octopus and chicken. There are also Japanese games stall which has games for exhorbitant prices and lousy prizes, but the fun is in the game itself, neh?

Hope you make it here in summer!