Oh Pinteresting Wednesday - Living in Japan Series - Summers

Gosh there is so much I want to share with you all, I'm stressed to do it all, eck! There are so many wonderful things about the seasons in Japan from the cherry blossoms in the spring to the New Years celebrations in the winter. But because we are in summer, I picked summer and the things that the Japanese do to celebrate summer. One reason I loved summer so much was because of all the festivals held around Tokyo and the whole country. The first festival that I love is the Chinese lantern  Hozuki Ichi plant festival.

A few days later then the Morning glory or Iriya Asagao Ichi festival is held to sell the plants.

One of my favorite things about the Japanese summers (if you asked for my top dislike was the humidity, blech!) was the month of August, which is O-bon season, meaning you return to your hometown and pay respects to those who have passed on before you. Along with that are lots of parades, wearing of the summer yukata (robes) and fireworks or hanabi! Watching the hanabi is such a major event in August, you wear your yukata, get a bunch of friends, grab your obento (boxed dinner) and get on an extremely packed train to wherever the hanabi are being lit off at. Then afterwards you get back to the extremely packed station, wait in an enormous line for your ticket and wait for your train. But guess what the Japanese nor I would wish it was any different, after all it is summer and it is O-bon time. Here are a few Japanese items that I found that remind me of my summers spent there which I am posting at my Oh Pinteresting Wednesday

and linking it up over at The Vintage Apple.

Here are my pins for this Wednesday!

The wind chimes, watermelon and shaved ice are very common throughout the summer

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

This is a yukata, or summer kimono with the morning glory flower

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

The hanabi or fireworks!

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Of course ramune, which is a fizzy drink similar to 7-Up with a marble sealing the top of the bottle, you unwrap the green top, press the marble down to start drinking. The saying goes if you can get the marble out of the bottle without breaking the bottle you will have extremely good luck!

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Part of the major summer celebrations include tons of men wearing the shrine on their backs through the streets

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Women then follow the men carrying the shrine and they dance in their summer kimonos, the dances are done in a straight line moving forward with simple hand motions

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Food vendors set up at the festivals to sell the popular summer foods

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

 This is the typical summer kimono which is lightweight and wearing the sandals with socks is not done in the summer, only the winter or colder times

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

One meal you must eat during the summer, typically which the Japanese consider the hottest day of the year which is July 20. It is barbequed eel over a bowl of rice, called unagi. The unagi is believed to help give your body sustenance to endure the summer humidity. It is barbequed over and basted in a teriyaki sauce, yum!

Some of you might like this unagi too!